A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen

This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project
to make the world's books discoverable online.

It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject
to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books
are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.

Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the
publisher to a library and finally to you.

Usage guidelines

Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the
public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to
prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.

We also ask that you:

+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for
personal, non-commercial purposes.

+ Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine
translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the
use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.

+ Maintain attribution The Google "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find
additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.

+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just
because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other
countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of
any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner
anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe.

About Google Book Search

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers
discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web

at |http : //books . google . com/

i

• /

/

A

BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY

OV

EMINENT SCOTSMEN.

IN FOUR VOLUMES.

OftlOIlTALLT BDITKD BT

ROBERT CHAMBERS.

NEW EDITION, EEVISKD UNDER THE CARE OF THE PUBLIBHERS.

WITH A SUPPLEMENTAL VOLUME,

CONTINUING THE BIOGRAPHIES TO THE PRESENT TIME.

By the Ebv. THOa THOMSON,

AVTHoa or " TMB ■irroKY o» ■cotlakd roa thb mm or Kitoou," n«., vre.

WITH NUMEROUS PORTRAITS.

DIVISION VII.
RAMSAY— WILSON.

BLACKIE AND SON:

GLASGOW, EDINBURGH, AND LONDON.

MDCCCLV

PUBLIC LiBK/vR^

,^,. ,.SCX AHO^I

QJL&IQOW :

W. 0. BLACKir AND C0.» PRTNTRRS.

VILLAriKLD.

H.x

I 1

^^%i

*]; 'f /?A '^ ;-,^A\ ' -y 'I r

-■):i! / N c^..^;v.;. ; r.^yiUv

V. .'L . ... :/v:

A'. KK V .MN Jl Al. -OT.-

/ //
/ II

( /I ^i

A

^»''m' ^^ m"; K^' i^' ;'

"Vi-: I. .i-v^ .iNi

~? :r

X

\'^^^^

ALLAN RAMSAT. 153

yoA rejected by the author, when he republished hii poeois. Allan had ihia
year been elected Poet Laureate of the cluU But tlie rising of Mar put an
end to its meetings ; and Ramsay, though still a keen Jacobite, felt it to be for
his interest to be so in secret. It iras now, howerer, that he comnienoed in
earnest his poetical career, and speedily rose to a degree of popularity, which
had been attained by no poet in Scotland since the days of Sir Darid Lindsay.
For more than a century, indeed, Scottish poetry had been under an eclipse,
while such poetical genius as the age aflbrded chose Latin as the medium of
communication. Sample, howoTor, and Hamilton of Gilbertfield had of late
years rerired the notes of the Duric reed ; and it seems to have been some of
their compositions, as published in Watson^s Collection in 1706, that fint in-
ipired Banisay< Maggy Johnston^s Elegy was speedily followed by that on John
Co\rper, quite in the same strain of broad humour. The publication of
king James's " Christ^s Kirk on the Green,** from an old manuscript, speed-
ily followed, with an additional canto by the editor, which, possessing the same
broad humour, in a dialect perfectly level to the comprehension of the vulgar,
while its precursor could not be read even by them without the aid of explanatory
notes, met with a most cordial reception. Commentators have since that period
puzzled themselves not a little to explain the language of the supposed royal
bard. Ramsay, however, saved himself the trouble, leaving every one to find
it out the best way he might, for he gave no explanations ; and at the same
time, to impress his readers with admiration of his great learning, he printed
his motto, taken from Gawin Douglas, in Greek characters. A second edition
of tliis work was published in the year 1718, with the addition of a third canto,
whicli increased its popularity so much, that, in the course of the four following
years, it ran tlurough fire editions. It was previously to the publication of tliis
work in its extended fonu, that Allan Ramsay had conmienoed the bookselling
business, for it was ** printed for the author, at the Mercury, opposite to Nid-
dry's Wynd ;" but the exact time when or the manner how he changed his
profession lias not been recorded. At the Mercury, opposite to the head
of Niddry's Wynd, Ramsay seems to have prosecuted his business as an original
author, ^tor, and bookseller, with great diligence for a considerable number
of years. His own poems he continued to print as they were i\ritten, in single
sheets or half sheets, in which shape they are reported to have found a ready
sale, the citizens being in the habit of sending their children with a penny for
" Allan Ramsay's last piece." In this form were first published, besides those
we have already mentioned, « llie City of Edinburgh's address to the Country,"
'' The City of Edinburgh's Salutation to the marquis of Caernarvon," *' Elegy on
Lucky Wood," ** Familiar Epistles," &c. &&, which had been so well received
by the public that in the year 1730, he issued proposals for republishing them,
with additional poems, in one volume quarta The estimation in whidi the
lK)et was now held was clearly demonstrated by the rapid filling up of a list of
subscribers, containing the names of all that were eminent for talents, learning,
or dignity in Scotland. The volume, handsomely printed by Ruddiroan, and
ornamented by a portrait of the author, from the pencil of his friend Sraibert,
was published in the succeeding year, and the fortunate poet realized four bun*
dred guineas by the speculation. This volume waa, according to the fashion of
the times, prefaced with several copies of recommendatory vei-ses ; and it contained
the fint scene of the Gentle Shepherd, under the title of <' Patie and Roger,"
and apparently intended as a mere pastoral dialogue. Incited by his brilliant
success, Ramsay redoubled his diligence, and in the year 1733, produced a
volume of Fables and Tales ; in 1733, the Fair Assembly ; and, in 1734, Health,
a poem, inscribed to the earl of Stair. In the year 1719, he had published a

IV. u

154 ALLAN BAUSAT.

voloma of Scottish Songt, whioh luwl alraady na throngli two editioDS by iriiidi
Im wm MMoungvd to pttblMi in Jamary 1794, Hm dm tvImm of ** Tko Tcft
Tible MiMoIUttiy ,*» • colleolioD of SoBgt, S4soltM aad Eaglttik This wm womt
fcllo>«ra4 by a second ; in t7i7, by a tfiird ; and mm% yoan aftanmidi by m
fowplli. Tbo demand ftir this work waa to gvaat that, In Hm oonna of a few
yaan, it tan thraugb twolro oditiou. In htar tioMs Hamiay laa boas ea»>
donmad for what ha Mans la havw kMked upon as a aMiitaaious piooa of
bbour. Ho had raii t l a d about mxty of the oM ain with naw vanea, putly by
hinsalf^ and partly by ollien ; which waa par ha n s absahHsly nseaswry an ao
comt of Iho nidanass and indaconcy of tha elder ditties^ Modara aattqnariosy
hawoTer, finding that ha has thos bean the means of banishing tha latter order
of songaont of o xi stawae, dadaim against him far a result whidi ha perhapa nofcr
eonlainphitad, and which, to say tiie least of it, could norer have oocumd, if
the lost poems had possessed the least awrit That Raamay, in publishing a
woik fer the imaediata use of his oontamporaries, did not ootianlt tha taste or
wishes of an age a eentnry later, was certainly Tsry nalaral ; and though wo
nmy regret that the aongs are lest, we cannot well see how the bfamw Ilea with
hffli. ilamsay, let us alao rec^lect^ was at this vary tinw OTincing hie dasba to
bring forward the really Taluable prednotiona of the elder muse. In the year
1794, he published Ae ^ Ever-Green, bemg a CoJiloctioa of Scota Poems,
wrote by the Ingenious before 1600.** Bamsay, however, was neither a faith-
ful, nor a well infinrmed editor. He introdnoed into this celleotion, as aneiesit
compositions, two pieces of his own, entitled^ ** The Vision,* and ** Tha Eagle
and Robin Redbreast,** the femer being a politica] allegory with a Mfcranoe
to the Pretender.

Ramsay had already written and published, in his first Toiume of original
poetry, " Patie and Roger,* which ho had followed op the following year widi
''Jenny and Maggy,** a pastoral, being a sequel to "Patio and Roger.**
These dcetches were so happily executed, as to excite in erery reader a dcaire
to see them extended. He therefore proceeded wiih additional coMefoiea in
connexion with the former, so as to form in the end a dramatic pastoral in five
acts. In the following letter, published here for the first time, it wiH bo aeon
that he was engaged on this task in spring 1 794, at a time when tfie duties of
lifo were confining him to the centre of a busy city, and when, by his <»wn
eonfomioo, he had almost forgot the appearance of those natuni aoenea which
ho has nererthelem so admirably deecribed : —

ALLAN RAMSAY TO WILLIAM RAMSAY, OP TRMPLRAALL, Esq.

*' SdMurffh, April 8M, 1724.

** 8Hr^.-.Theee coom to bear yon my rery heartyest and grateful wishea. Hay
you long enjoy your Marlefi^d, see auny a returning spring pregnant with
new beautys ; may every thing tfiat^a excellent in iu kind aontinue to fill
four extended soul with pleosurs. Rejoyce in the benefioenoe of heaaen, and
Ut all about ye rejoyoe — whilst we, akke, the laborious insects of a sasaaky city,
huiry about foom place to place in one eternal maae of latiguing cavea, to so-
oure this day our daylie bread— and sonwthing till*t For me^ I have ahnoat
forgot how aprings gnsh from the earth. Once, I had a notiaa haw firagraat
the fields wore after a soil shower; and often, time out of mind! the glowing
bluahes of the morning hare fired my breast with mptursa. Then it waa that
the adxture of rural music echo'd agreea b le foom the seitouading hills, and all
natmro appeared in gnyety.

^'Howerer, what is wanting to mo of rural sweets I endearour to make op by

AIXAN BAMSAY.

155

being oontiouaUy at the acting «f aonie new £uc6y for I'm grown, I know not
howy ao Tcry wiao, or at loact think id (wkick ia miich about one), that tho mob
of mankind aflml om a continual diveaion ; and this place, tho' little, ia
crowded with menry-andvews^ foola, and fopa, of ali aizeB, [who] intermix'd with
a few that can thinky compote the comical medley of acton.

'* Eeoecve a lang made on the marriage of my young chief — I am, thia Taca*
tion, going thiough wilh a Dramaiick Pastoral, which I design to carry the
length of-^ve acts, in verse a' the gate, and if I succeed accordiog to my plan,
I hope to tope with the authors of Faster Fido and Amiota.

'* God take care of you and youn, is the oonstant prayer of^ sir, your faitlv-
ful hrtmMo aerwuit.

The poem was pnhlislied in 1795, under the title of the Gentle ShephenI,
and met with instant and tisnmphani success; A second edition was prinied by
Uoddiman for the author, who stiU rsaided at his shop opposite Niddry^s Wynd ;
but the aauM year he remeyed from this his original dwelling to a house in tho
east end of liio Luckenbooths, which had formerly been the London Coffee-
house* Hera, in place of JMcFoury, he adopted the heads of Ben Jonaon and
Dnuamond of Hawthomden, and in addition to his business as a bookseU
ler, he commenced that of a cironbting libnwy. Bansay was the fint to ea>
tiiblish such a business in Scotland, and it appears that he did so, not without
some opposition from the more serious past of the community, who found fault
with him for lending the loose pl»ys of that age to' penons whose morak were
liable to be tainted by them. In thk abap the %riu of Edinburgh continued
daily to meet for information and amusement during the days of Bamsay and
his successors in trade. In the year 1728, be published by snbscription
the second Tolume of his poems in quarto, (induding the Gentle Shepherd,)
whidi was equally successful with the fh-st Of this volume a second edition
was printed ia octayo in the succeeding year. In 1730, Ramsay published
n collection of thirty fables, after which, though he wrote sereral copiea
of Tones for the amusement of his friends, he gave nothing more to the public;
His fome was now at Che full, and though he had continued to issue a number
of volumes erery year^ all equally good ns those that preceded them, it
could hare received no real addition. Over all the three khigdoms, and orer^
nil their depei^encies, tlie works of Ramsay were widely difltoed, and warmly
admired. The whole were republished by the London booksellers in the year
1731, and by the DubKn booksellers in 1733, all sterling proofs of extended
popularity, to which the poet himself failed not on proper occasions to allnde.

Bamsay had now risen to wealth and to higli respectability, numbering
among his familiar friends the best and the wisest men in the nation. By the
greater part of the Scottish nobility he was caressed, and at the houses of som«
of the most distinguished of them, Hamilton palace, Loudoun cmtle, &c., was &
frequent visitor. With Duncan Forbes, lord advocate, afterwards lord president,,
and the first of Scottish patriots. Sir John Clerk, Sir William Bennet, and Sir
Alexander Dick, he lived in the habit of daily and familiar, and friendly inter<^
course. With contemporary poets his intercourse was extensive and of the most
friendly kind. The two HamlUons, of Bangour and Gilbertfield, were his most
intimate friends. He addressed verses to Pope, to Gay, and to Somerville,.
the last of whom returned his poetical salutaUona in kind. Mitchell and
Mallet shared also in his friendly greetingB. Meston addressed to him verses
highly complimentary, and William Soett of Thidstaiie wrote Latin hexameters
to his praise. Under so much good fortune he eeuM not escape the malignant

156

ALLAN EAMSAT.

|platic«i of snriotjs nnd diiappntnteil poetoiterm, and of morote nnd item
moralliU. By the firit lie vfoA antioyed vthh a '* Block for Allan Il.inivty'« ttig,
or llie Po«l fftLIen in a Lniiire;*^ by tlm latier, " A] Ltd BAmsiiy melAtnrirplioseid
to a Heather-blolisr poet, in a jottoral betH-e«n Algoo and 31elLb<pV*^vitl] ** ITie
flighl of religious piety from Scotland upon the account of lb niuiy'i l«wd bocjts
and tile hell'bred play home corned jam, wild dubaurh ail the f^iculties of the
ioulj of the ritixig g^nenitjon,*' ** A Lowking-gfaM for AlJan Hanitnyj" "The
Dying: Wordi of AlJan Haniiay,'" &:c. Th« thre« lajt of iKece piecea \rero
occasioned by a speculation which he entered into fur the encourage-
inent of the drama, to which he appenri to ha ire been ilrongly attached.
For this purpoie, about the year L73G, he buili a playhouie in Cairrijbber''s dose
at ra*t expense^ which, if it um eTer opened, waa 1 mined lately ehut up by llie
act for licetiBing the itAfc, ^Oiich woi pasted in the ytar 1737. Hamsay on
tliia occn^ion addressed a rUyuiing; complaint to the court of ie«cion, ^hich
trai first printed in the (ientteuiau'i Magazine, and »inc« in all tho editioni
that hskve been given of bii workt. It doe» not, hotierer, uppear that he ob-
tained any redresi, and the pecuniary to&i which he mu&t hare luffertd probjk-
bly affected him mora than the jamponns to >vh]ch ne have atiuded. He had
previouily to thii publiihed his *' Heaiuiii for not aniwering the Hackney
Scribblers," which are sufficiently bliing, and with which h« seems to hare rc»
niained satis 5ed thi-otjgh life. Ha haj deicHbed him self in one of his epis-
ties as A

** Lilde man ilal lo'vd hia ccfe,
Atvd nevtr Ihol'd these posEbiu Ise>|(
Thjut rtMlL"!} msant Xa do him wmng y"

uhicb wo think the following letter to his old friend Smibert, the painter, who
had by this time emigroted to the western world, ivill abundantly confinn;7^"My
dear old friend^ yo^ir hi^alih nnd liapplne^ are i^ver ane addition to my mtis-
faction, God make your life easy and pleas anL Half a century of years liare
now rowed o'er n»y pow, that begins to bo lyart ; y<t tlwnks to my author 1
eat, drink, and sleep as sound as t did twenty years syne, yea I laugli,
heartily too, and 5 nd as many subjects to employ tliat fac ulty upon as eier ; fools,
fops, and knaves gro^v as rauk as formi^rly, yet here and there are to bo found
good and worthy men who are ane honour to human life. We Imte siiuill hopes
of seeing you again in our old ^orld ; then let us be rirtuous and hope to meet in
heaven^ My good auld wife is still my bedfellow. My &on Allan has been
pursuing your Kience since he vas a dozen years auld ; was witli Mr llyffidg
at London for some time about tvio years ago ; has been since at home, paint*
ing here lilce a Itaphael ; sets nut for the seat of the beast beyond
the Alps wilhin a month hence, to be aw«y about two years. l*m sweet to jmrt
niih him, but canna stem the current which flowi from the advice of his patrons
and his own inclination. 1 hare three daughters, one of seventeen, one of
siKtcen, and one of twelv^e years old, and no ae wally drngle among them — a]]
fine girls. These six or teren years past 1 have not written a line of poetry - I
can g;va over in good time, before the coolness of fancy that attends ad*
van cod years should make me risk the reputation I had actjuired.

'* Fme twetiiy-fivo to five and forty,
My musti \vni neither street nor darty.
My Pfgiuua wtmld hr<?iik hii tether,
£*<;n at th« sbnking of a ftaUier;
And tJirough idefis icour Wk^ drift,
Strekiug hii wings up to the UA ;

ALLAN RAMSAY. 167

Then, then my soul mta in a low,
That gart my numben mftHy row*,
But eOd and judgment gin to fliy,
Let be your flange, and learn to pny.**

It 10 scarcely powible to conceive a more pleasing picture of ease and satisfac-
tion than is exhibited in the above sketch ; and^ the affair of the theatre in
Carrubber's close excepted, Banuay seems to hare filled it up to the last He
lost his wife. Christian Ross^ in the year 1743 ; but his three daughters, grown
up to womanhood, in some measure supplied the want of her society, and much
of his time in his latter years aoenrn to have been spent with his friends in the
country. It appears to have been about this period, and with the view of relin*
quiihing his shop, the business of which still went on prosperously, that he erected
a house on the north side of the Castle Hill, where he might spend the remain-
der of his days in dignified retirement. The site of this house was selected
with the taste of a poet and the jud^ent of a painter. It commanded a reach
of scenery probably not surpassed in Europe, extending from the mouth of the
Forth on the east to the Grampians on the west, and stretching far across the
green hills of Fife to the north ; embracing in the including spnce every yariety
of beauty, of elegance, and of grandeur. The design for the building, how-
ever, which the poet adopted, was paltry in the extreme, and by the wags of
the city was compared to a goose pye, of which complaining one day to lord
Elibank, his lordship gayly remarked, that now seeing him in it he Uiought it
an exceedingly apt comparison. Fantastic though the house was, Ramsay spent
the last twelve years cf his life in it, except when he was abroad with his
friends, in a state of philosophic ease, which few literary men are able to
attain. In the year 1765, he is supposed to have relinquished business. An
Epistle which he wrote this year to James Clerk, Esq. of Penny cuick, '* full of
wise saws and modem instances,^ gives his determination on the subject, and a
picture of himself more graphic than could be drawn by any other person t

** Tho* bom to no ae inch of ground,
I keep my ooiiscience white and sound ;
And though I ne'er was a rich keeper,
To make that up I live the cheaper;
By this ae knadc Tve made a shift
To drive ambitious care adrift ;
And now in }'ean and sense grown auld ,
In ease I lilce my limbs to fimld.
Debts I abhor, and plan to be
From shackling trade and dangers free ;
That I may, loosed frae care and strife, •

"With calmness view the edge of life;
And when a full ripe age sliall crave
Slide eauly into my grave ;
Now seventy years are o'er my head.
And thirty more may lay me dead.'*

While ho was thus planning schemes of ease and security, Ramsay seems to
have forgotten the bitter irony of a line in one of his elegies,

" The wily carl, he gathered gear,
But ah 1 he's dead."

At the Tery time he was thus writing, he was deeply afflicted with the scurvy
in his gums, by which he eventually lost all his teeth, and even a portion of

158

ALULN lUJf SAT.

one of his jaw bonei. He died et EduakKir^ on the 7th of January, 1757, in
the 73rd year of hit age. Ue «m buried ob Ih* dih of the month, without
any particular honoun, and with him ior a tisM wwi haried Scottiah poetry,
there not beings to much aa owe poet Jbond aw SeetlaBd to ting a requiem over
hit graire. Hia wife, Chrittian Roti, teemt to hare brought him leren children^
three torn and four daughlen ; of thete AJhin, the el^et, and two d augh t wa
turriYed hhn. Of tfie character of Bamtay, the ootlhiea ww preaume nay he
drawn from the oempreheniire Aetch which we have exhibited of the erei^ of
hit Fifii. Prvdent aelf-control aeemt to have been hit leadrag* characfetrittie,
and the acquitition of a competency the great object of bit Itfh. He waa owe
of the lew poett to whom, in a pecuniary point of view^ poetry hat been redly
a bleiiing, and who could combine poetic pursmtt xMl theae of otdxnwry
butinea.

RAMSAY, Auast, an eminent potttatt*palnter, wat tlie cMeit ton of the
subject of the preceding artide, and wat b(^ in Edinburgh in the year 1713.
He received a liberal education, and displayed in boyhood a tatte for the art
which he afterwardi aueceatfidly cukintted. Hit father, writing te hit fnend
S mibert in 1736, tayt: " My ton Allan hat been punuing your tcienoe since he
wat a doaen yeart aidd ; waa with Mr HyfRdg in London Ibr tome time, Aoot
two yeart ago ; hat tinoe been pamting here Kke a Raphael : tett out Ibr the
teat of the beatt l>eyond the Alps within a month henoe^ to be away two yearL
I'm tivoer [loadi] to part with him, but canna ttem llie current which flowa from
the adTioe of hit patrons and hit own indination." b it to be tuppoied that
the fatlier would be the leo iocfined to control hit ton in thit matler, at he
wat himtdf, in early life, anxiow to be brouglit op at a painter. In Italy
young Ramsiy studied Arte yean under Solinuno and Imperiali, two artiste of
celebrity. He then aetnmed to hit native country, and oornmenosd bu tin es s^
painting, a mon g t t othert, hit faihei't friend, preiident Forbet, and hit own sie>'
ter, Janet Ramsay, iThose portraits are preterred in Newhall hooie, and
nn excellent fulUlength of Archibald duke of Argyle, in his robes at an
extraordinary lord of session^ now in the Town Hall, Glasgow. The
name of Allan Bamtay junior^ it found in the list of the memben of the
Academy of St Luke, an association of painters and lorert of painting, intti*
tuted at Edinburgh in 1739, but which doet not appear to hare done anything
worthy of record.^ It would alte appear that he employed part of hit* time in
giring prirate inttructiont in drawing, i«r it wat whiie thut engaged in the
family of Sir Alexander Lindsay of Ereiick, that he gained the heart and hand
of the baronet*t eldett daughter, Margaret— 4i niece of tiio illuttriout Mantfield —
by whom he had three children. In 1754, he became the founder of the Sdect
Society, which comprited all the eminent learned charsetert then liring in the
Scottish capital, arid which he was well qualified to adorn, at he wat an excel-
lent dastical tcholar, knew French and Italian perfectly, and had all the polith
and liberal feeling of a highly iiittructed man.

Prerioutly to thit period he had made London hit habitual residence, though
he occationally visited both Rome and Edinburgh. In Bouquet*t pamphlet on
** the Pretent State of the Fine Artt in England," publithed in 1755, he it
tpokon of as '^ an able painter, who, adEoowledging no other guide than natnt%
brought a rational taate ef resemhkncs with him from Italy. Even ia his poBi>
traits,** says this WTiter, *' he thoiia that just steady spirit, which he so agree-
ably ditplayt in hit conrertation.*' He found in the earl of Bridge water, one of

I The rules of this obscure inslituUoii, with the signatures, were published by Mr Patridc
Gibson, in his ** View of the Arts of Design in Britain," in the EdiabuJiKh Aanual Bcgi»>
ter fur 1816.

ALLAK BAMSAT. 159

his ea rK wii E ngiiili prtroiii. He wualio iolroihMed by tlie earl 4^ Bote to the
fnnoe ef Wales, aftmnrar^ Creorge III., of whrna he painted pmiraiU, be«h in
iitU length and in proffley which were engraved, the 9a% hy Ryland, the other
by Woollott. lie praeiised portrak-pahiting for eeveial yeaie with dietingtiished
m c cMi , being deficteat^ aeeerding to Watpole, rather in eubjeele liian in genint.
Hie poitreite are dietiagtmhed by a calm unaffected lepr e i e al at ion of nature ;
and he Se anlwrially allowed to hare coatribnted, with Reynolde, te raiee this
baaiMsh of art in Britain. He had net long been in practice before he acquired
conwderable wealth, which, it nppean, he used in a liberal apirH. When his
Ihther died in 1757, in eonewhat embarnuaed ctroamstances, he paid his debts,
etttttag, at the same time, a penaton on bb unmarried siiler, ^net Ramsay, who
amnrived till 1804.

In 1767, Raouay was appeinied portrait-paniter to the icing and queen,
which breagfat Mn an hmaenee increase of employment, as pertaraits of their
auijestiea were perpetually ia demand for foTe%n cooits, ambasaadors, and public
bediea at iieme. He was, therefore, obliged to engage no fewer than Uto
amiatanfes to leaward bis pictores, among whom was Darid Martin, the predeces-
sor of Raebam. In eon ae q aenee of hie enlightened and amusing conversation,
he became a gieat farourite with thetr roajeatiea, the queen being particularly
pleaaed with him en accoaot of his ability to conrerse in German, in which he
had sMt a riral at court, aaire aaseagat her own domeatioL The state woblea, and
other public ieadera of that time, were also fond of the conversation ef Ramsay,
who is aaid to have taken mane pleasure in politics and literature than in his
art, and wrote many peeoea on oentroverted subjects, with the signature, '' In-
vestigator," which were ultimately collected into a rolume. He corresponded,
tee, with Voltahre and Ronssaau, both of whom he risited when abroad; and his
lettans are said to have been elegant and witty. '* Ramsay, in short,** says Mr
IL Cunningham, ^ led the life ai an elegant accomplished man of the world,
and pubUc favourite." He waa ^quently of Dr Johnson's parties, who said of
him, '' You will not find a nna in whose oonversation tlhere is mere instruction,
more usSonnatwn, and daganee, than in RamsayV He was noted in his
owv eauntfy for having, after the battle of Prestoopans, writton an imitation of
the song of Debevah in aoriptnre, which he put into the mouth of a jacobtto
young kdy of family, and which displayed eonaldevable pe^Ters of satire ; and
in the Edinburgh Annual Register for 1613, widl be found a burlesque on Ho-
BBoe's ^ Integer Vitai,*' whseh thews such a dexteeeua anion of te Lotm rhythm
with the English rhyme, as none but a man of a singular kind of genius could
hare edeoted.^

In oonseqoence of an accident wbieh injured his arm, Raauay retifod from
businesa about the year 1775. He then lived several yeasa in Italy, amusing
himself dtiefly with literary pursuits. His health gradually stoking, he formed
the wish to return to his native land ; but the motion of the carnage brought on
a slow fever by the way, and he died at Dover, August 10, 17 8i, in the seven-
ty-first year of his age^

John Ramsay, the son of the pahitor, entered the arasy, and rose to the rank
of nmjor^enend. His two daughtom, Amelia and Gharlotto, were respectively
married to Sir Arahibald Campbell of Inverness, and eokmel Malcolm of
Ford form, Snney*

1 The following portraits, by Mr Rammr, have, amongst others, been enfraved :— -King
George III. Queen Charlotte. Frederick, prince of Waives. Lord chanceUor Hnrdvricke.
The eo^l of Bute. John, duke of Ar^yle. The eeri of Bath. Sir Chorles Pratt (lord
Camhden). Thomas Burnet, judge of common pleaa Hugh Dalrymple (lord Drummore).
Dr Alisc&nder Monro, primus, David Hume. Archibald, duke of Argyle. President
Forbes. Provost Coutts. Lady Geotge Lennox. Lady Eivkine. A)!sn Ramaay, the poet.

160

ANDREW MICHAEL BAMSAY.

RAMSAY, AiiDRKv Micbad, better known by the name of the 0ievalier de
Ramsny, wu bom in Ayr, 9th June, 1686. He wu the ion of a baker, who
had acquired some property, and was able to gife him a good education. From
the tchoo] of hit native burgh, he was removed to the uniirenity of Edinburgh,
where he became dittinguiehed for hit abilitiet and diligence. In conteqaence
of tbe high reputation lie had acquired he wat intrutted with the tuition of James,
afterwardt fourth earl of Wemyst, and hit brother David, lord Ekho, the for-
mer of whom he attended at the univertity of St Andrews. Of these youtbt tbe
chevalier has left a pleasing notice, dated Isleworth, February 85, 1709 : " I
hare nothing to interrupt me but an hour or two's attendance at night upon two
of the most innocent, tweet, sprightly little boys I ever knew.** Besides
this notice of his pupils, we have in the same document a remarkable
revelation respecting himtelf. That he was a young man full of literary en-
thutiatm, and haunted with day«dreamt of immortality, the hittory of hit after
life abundantly tettifies; yet he profoites here thai all his " ambition was to be
forgotten." Such a profession may reasonably be sutpected in any man, for
no one, in ordinary circumstances, can have the least reason to fear that he will
be forgotten. In young men it may always be interpreted as meaning tbe very
reverte of the exprettion, being neither more nor lett than the extorted
bitterness of a proud or a vain spirit, sickening and sinking under the
prospect of accumulating dii&cultiea or ultimate ditsppointment Before this
time, Bamtay had become untettled in hit religious principles. He now
visited Holland, and took up his residence at Leyden, the university of which
was at that time the common resort of the literary youth of Scotland. Here
he fell into the company of Foiret, one of the most distinguithed advocates of
the mystic theology, then so prevalent on the continent, from whom he learned
the leading dogmas of that system. Having lieard of the fame of Fenelon,
archbishop of Ganibiay, and that he had long advocated mysticism, Ramtay
determined to pay him a vitit, and take hit advice on the tubject. He accord-
ingly, in 1710, repaired to Cambray, where he met with the most cordial recep-
tion. He was at this time in his twenty-fourth year, polite and engaging in
his manners, and of a gentle and easy temper, every way calculated to win upon
the affections of a man like Fenelon. Having received him into his house as
an inmate of the family, the good ardibisfaop listened to tlie disjointed hittory
of his religious opinions with patience, ditcutsed with him at large hit objec-
tiont, hit doubtt, and his difficulties, and in less than six months had the tatis«
faction to find that he had succeeded in making his guett a true catholic, at
leait at far at be could believe himtelf tuch, for Ramtay had mott cordially im-
bibed all hit opiniont, philoiophical, moral; and religious. This strange ad-
venture gave colour and contittence to the whole tubeequent life of the cheva-
lier. Having been preceptor to the duke of Burgundy, heir-apparent to tlie
throne of France, Fenelon had contiderable influence at the French
court, and he procured for hit ditciple and proteg6 the preceptorthip to the
duke de Chateau-Thiery and the prince de Turenne. In tliit tituation Ram-
tay acquitted himtelf to well that he wat made a knight of the order of St
Lazarut, and from the commendationt he received wat telected by the perton
called the Pretender, to tuperintend the education of hit two tont, prince
Charlet Edward, and Henry, afterwardt cardinal de York. For thit purpose he
left France, and repaired to Rome in Uie y ear 1 7 34. The retirement that he had
previously courted and enjoyed, ^vas now interrupted. His literary status bin-
dered him from keeping altogether aloof from the kindred spirits around him.
Moreover, he perceived that the political and religious intrigues thnt were car-
ried on at tbe apostolic court, but ill suited the prosecution of those literary

ANDREW MICHAEL RAMSAY. 161

labours in whidi he had embarked. He therefore, after a short residence in
Italy, requested of his employer permission to return to France, which
was readily granted. Literary leisure ^ras what he now desired. In the capi-
tal of France, howeTer, it was unlikely he could obtain this, as the same intol-
erant spirit prevailed that had hastened his departure from Rome. He there-
fore resolred on yisiting his native country. On reaching Britain, he was re-
ceived into the family of the duke of Argyle. That repose so congenial to one
of his studious habits was now afforded him, and he immediately set about the
preparation of those works which he had long meditated, and through which
he has become known to posterity. His largest work, ** On the Principles of
Natural and Revealed Religion,*' contains a luminous and detailed statement of
the various steps which the Divine Being, in the one of these grand divisions,
has made demonstrable by human reason, and an ingenious exhibition of the
other, as made known to man by revelation. The forcible process of deduc-
tion, which, throughout the work, is brought to bear upon the mind of the reader,
can hardly fail in accomplishing what the author intended — an elevation of the
heart of the creature to the Creator. The work has passed several times through
the press. Ramsay next published ** The Travels of Cyrus.^ The best criterion
of judging of this publication is to be found in the great number of editions
that have from time to time been laid before the public. Although the fame of
' the chevalier, as a writer, rests chiefly upon the '* Travels of Cyrus," yet on its
first appearance it met with severe criticism. That a desise to be hypercritical
might sway some of his literary judges is possible ; at any rate, it has outlived
their censorship. It secured for its author an honourable niche among the
standard authors of Britain. It displays an intiinate acquaintance with the
customs, laws, learning, and antiquities of the. period of which it treats,
and exhibits a beautiful delineation of human character, together with
the soundest principles of true philosophical discrimination. Soon after these
works appeared, he was honoured by Uie university of Oxford with the degree
of doctor of laws, which was conferred on him by Dr King, principal of St Mary's
Hall. It ought to have been previously stated, that, before receiving this
honourable distinction, he had been admitted to St Mary's Hall in 1730. He
aAerwards returned to France, and resided several years at Fontoise, a seat of
the prince de Turenne, duke de Bouillion. While here, he published the life
of his benefactor, the archbishop of Cnrobray ; a biographical slcetch, chiefly re-
markable as containing a detailed account of the persecution to which the wor-
thy prelate was subjected by his brother divines, for his suspected connivance
at the doctrines of mysticism, and the arguments adduced on both sides on his
own conversion to the catholic faith. It was reprinted in this country in a
small duodecimo^ volume. Soon afterwards, he published, in two volumes,
*' The History of Viscount Turenne, marshal of France," which was also trans-
lated and published in England. He resided in the prince's family in the
situation of intendant till the period of his death, which happened at St Germain
en Laye, on the 6th of May, 1743, having nearly completed his fifly-seventh
year. His remains were interred at the place where he died, but some time af-
terwards his heart was removed to the nunnery of St Sacrament at Paris.

It is supposed that when in England he did not visit the place of his birth.
Perhaps his renunciation of the faith of his forefathers, and blighting the hopes
of a doting parent, prevented his doing so. That he did not, however, neglect
his relations is evident from the fact of his wishing to settle upon them an an-
nuity, which they refused to accept. From France he remitted a considerable
sum of money to his father; but on its being presented, the staunch pre&by-
terian indignantly replied, '^ It cam' by the beast, and let it gang to the
rv. X

162 DR. THOMAS BMB.

beast ;** and it if-not fupposed Aat be ercr profited fai any mamwr by bii«oii%
abilitiei.

The principal worki of the diemlier R8nny not 7«t alluded -to, afe ** A IN*-
eoune on the Epic Poem,'' in French, generally pvetmd to the later editiona
of Telemachut, ** An Enay on Civil GoTemment;*' **Ileniaiiii on4oed ftiaflie»-
bury't Chaiucteriitloi " (French) ; a few English poem» of no •value-; and tiro
letters in French to Bacine the younger^ upon the true senthnente of Pope in
£he Essny on Man.

BEID, (Da) Thomis, an eminent metajftiysician and morel phlleiopber, and pro-
fessor of the latter science in the universities of Aberdeen and Glasgow-enooeasive-
ly, was bom at Strachan, inlCincardineshire, in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, on
the 36th of April, 171 0, as shown by the minute reaeardhes of prdfessor Dngald
Stewart, who aff'ectionately ^vrote the life of his eminent friend. The Iniily of
Reid had been ornamented iry producing different authors of oonsidenible -emi-
nence in their age.^ One of hit ancestors, Jamee R«id, was the first ninieter
of Banchory-Teman (n parish in the neighbourhood of IStrechan) after the Re-
formation. His son Tliomas has been comnieroorated by Dempster, fwhoae
praises of a protestant clergyman's son may be deemed 'worthy of credit,) n a
man of great eminence. He collected in a volume the Theses lie had defended
at foreign universities; and some of his Latin poems were inserled in *the
DelUia Poetarum Scaianan. He was Greek and Latin secretary to James L,
and bequeathed to Marischal college a turn for the support of a IHararlam, ivhidi
has since disappeared, or been directed "to other pmrpoaes. AleKander^ a
brother of Thomas, ^ras physician to king Charles L, and published eome for-
gotten works on medicine and surgery. Another brother translated Bucliai]an*s
History of -Scotland into English. Tlie fether of the subject of our memoir
was the reverend Lewis Reid, for fifty yean minister of -the parish of Strachan ;
and his mother was daughter to David Gregory of Kinmdrdie, elder iirotfaer of
James Gregory, the inventor of the reflecting telescope.

After spending two years at the -parish school of Kincardine O^eil, Thomas
Reid was sent, for the farther prosecution of his studies, to Abetdeen, where, at
the age of twelve or thirteen, he was entered as a etudent of MavisdBBl eoUege.
Little is knoivn of his early studies or qualifications, with ttie 'eaneption of Uie
not very fiattering remark of his master, ** That 'he would turn out to be a man
of good and well-wearing parts.'' In a letter to a friend, written late in life,
he has stated some chrcumstances connected with 4ris hsibiti of body in youth,
which he appears to have recollected merely as the data of some of hia philo-
sophical speculations. They are perhaps 'not the least intereating, aa ahowing
that the physical state of the body produces effects in the procedure of the
mind, different from what might be presumed aa the -nental oharaeteristics of
the individual, as derivable from his opinions. ** About the age offousteen,**
he says, " I was almost every night unhappy in my sleep from frightful dreams ;
sometimes hanging over a dreadful precipice, and juat ready to drop down-;
sometimes pursued for my life, and stopped by a wall, or by a sudden loss of
all strength ; sometimes ready to be devoured by a wild beast How long I
was plagued wi^ such dreams, I do not recollect I believe it was for a year
or two at least ; and I think they bad quite left me before I ^wos sixteen. In
those days, I was much given to what Mr Addison, in one nf -his Spectaton,
calls castle-buildings and in my evening solitary walk, wfaidh waa gBnmlly all
the exercise I took, my trhoughts would hurry me into some active acene, -where
I generally acquitted myself mudi to my own satisfaction ; and in these scenes
of imagination, 1 performed many a gallant exploit At the same time, in my
* Stewart's Biographical Memoirs, p. 400.

DH. THOMAS lUSID.

163

dreaxnf I found myself the moit BKrant coward that ever imml Not only my
courage, but my ■traDgih failed me in every danger-; and 1 often rose Arom my
bed in the morning in Mich a panic, that it took some lime to get> the better of
iU. I wished, yeny much, to gH iiciee of these uneasy draams^ which not only
mada ma unhappy, in. sleep, but often kit a disagceeablo impreiMon in my
mind, for some, part of the following daj^. I thought it; was w«orth trying
whether it waa possible to reeoUeei that* it waa all a dveam, snd that I Mas in
no real danger,, and. that every fright L had woe a^dreanu A&erraaBy ftuitlesa
attempts ta veooUeot thia when the danger appeaned, I ejected it at lasti^ and
have often,, when I waa sliding over a preeipice into the ab^, reoolieoted' that
it was all a. dream, and boldly jumped doivn;. The efiect of this- commonly wxis»
that I inunediatel^ft anpokot. £utl awoka ealmi and intrepid^ ivhich L thought a
great acquisition- After this, my dreams, ^rero never venj^ uneasy ; and; in a
short time, I dreamed not at alL" That a mind such aa B«id's' should' ha««
been subject to '* oastle^building,*' and to singular dasama,. nmst be aoconntod
for from the state of his body ;. while the Strang active poweia of hia mind: ara
shown in tha mastenhip which ha at lan|^. acquired over the prapensity.

While ha aemained atMariscfaal coll^ia, Beid.waa-appointed to the liinrarian*
ship,, which, hisi ancestor had ft»unded During this period,, he fonnedan inti-
macy with John Stawant,. afterwarda profesaar ef mathematics in Marischal coIi>
lege. In 1736, he aecompaniad tliis gentiaman toEnglandyand they together
yisited London^ Oxftird^. and Cambridge^ Mijoying an interoouno- inth Dr
David Gregory, Maiiin, Folkes^ and Dr Bentley. In 1737-, the King's college,
as patrons, presented Da Raid, with tha living of New Machar, in Aberdeenshire.
An ayeisian to the law^ of patronage, which Uien strongly chamdenBed many
districts^ of Scotland, enoited hostile feelinga against a man, who, if the parish*
ioners could haw shown their will, as well in making a choice aa in vituperating-
the pemon chosen, would havtt:been the very man< after their heart In saiter'>
ing on his cure,, he waa ev«n expoaed to pewonal dangen. ** Uis> unwearied'
attention, howeyar,!' says profeseor Stewart, '* to the dutiea of his office ; the
mildness and fi»beaEanoa of hia temper,, and the activa ^rit of his humanity,
soon overcame all these paejudioea: and^not many yearns aftevwards, when he-
was called to as difleraat situation^ tha same peaseiis who had aafienad' themselrea
to be BO far misled,. as tO/taka a share in tlie outragea against him,^ followed him,
on his departure, with. Iheir blesaings and tears/' On his departtue, some old
men are said to haFS obscmnad, '* Wo fought atfokut De Bead when he came,
and would hava fought foot him when ha want away." It is said that, for at
least a considsmble portion of tlie time which ha spent at New Mnchar, he was
accustomed to preach, the iermsoa of Da Tillotson and Dr £vans^ instead of his
own ; a circumstance which hia. biographer attributes to modesty and self-diffi»
dence.. In. 1740^ ha manuad. Elittbeth, the dang^iter of his undo, Dr Geonge-
Keid, phyjsician in London.. About this period, he is said ta have- spent hia
time in intensely stadying. moral philoscphy, and. in makingrtbaae obsBrvatiamS'
on the organa of sense, and their opemtian on the external, world,, which
formed tha broad basia.of hia philosophy* Beid waa not ai pviecoeioua genina ;.
and ^vhatevae he wrote in< eacLy liie,.is said to havo be«ii detotive^ in style :. but
he busied himself in planting good seed, whicli, in the autumn* of his days^ pro^
duced to himself and to tha world a sioh and abundant haevest. His« first
public, literary attempt was an> <' Essay on Quantity, occaeioned by aeading a
Treatise, in which Simple and Compound Ratios are applied to Virtue and
Merit," published in the Transactions of the Hoyal Society, in 1748« This
paper ia levelled at the '^ Inquiny into thorOiigi^ of our ideaa o6 Beauty and Vii^-
tue>" by Dr Hotcheson, who had committed the yenial philosophical sin ^ of

1G4

DR. THOMAS REID.

making uie of a icience, which can only be brought to bear on moral adence as
a meaui of illuitrating it, and abbroTtating the method of reasoning, as affording
grounds for reasoning by analogy. Perhaps, on a fair consideration, Hutcheson
may not hare intended to carry his system to the extent presumed in this ralu-
able liltle treatise, most of the orgumenU of which are made to meet the appli-
cation of the maUiematici, not only as forming a regular series of analogies fit
to be uied in moral science, but likewise as so accurately corresponding, that, as
it is all mensuiable itself, it serves the purpose of a measurer in moxal science.
The following sentence contains the essence of his argument on this last point,
and it is condusire. " It is not easy to say how many kinds of improper quan*
tity may, in time, be introduced into the mathematics, or to what new subjects
measures may be applied : but this, I think, we may condude, tlut there is no
foundation in nature for, nor can any valuable end be served by, applying
measure to any thing but what has these two properties : First, it must admit
of degrees of greater and less ; secondly, it must be assodated with or related
to something that has proper quantity, so as that when one is increased, the
other is increased ; when one is diminished, the other is diminished also ; and
every degree of the one must have a determinate magnitude or quantity of the
other corresponding to iL"' Reid seems not to have been very certain whether
the person whom he opposes, (styled by him Dr M.,) did actually maintain
mathematics as being a proper measure in the moral sciences, or that it merely
afforded useful analogies ; and perhaps some who are disposed to agree with Reid
as to the former alternative, may not be prepared to join him in attacking the
latler. Ue continues : " Though attempts have been made to apply mathema-
tical reasoning to some of these things, and the quantity of virtue and merit in
actions has been measured by simple and compound ratios ; yet Dr M. does not
think that any real knowledge has been struck out this way : it may, perhaps,
if discreetly used, be a help to discourse on these subjects, by pleasing Uie
imagination, and illustrating what is already known ; but till our affections and
appetites shall themselves be reduced to quantity, and exact measures of their
various degrees be assigned, in vain shall we essay to measure virtue and merit
by them. This is only to ring changes on words, and to make a show of ma-
thematical reasoning, without advancing one step in real knowledge.*^

In 175S, the professors of Klng*s college in Aberdeen, elected Dr Reid pro-
fessor of moral philosophy, ** in testimony of the high opinion they had formed
of his learning and abilities." After having taken up his residence in Aber-
deen, he became one of the projectors of that select sodety of philosophers,
which then dignified the northern city. It is perhaps partly to the influence
of this association, that, among many other works, we owe Uie ** Inquiry into
tlie Human Mind upon the Principles of Common Sense," which Dr Reid pub-
lished in 1764. As this work developed an argument against the sceptical
philosophy of Mr Hume, the author, with more magnanimity than some mem-
bers of his profession displayed at the time, procured, by the interposition of
Dr Blair, a perusal of the manuscript by Hume, in order that any of those dis-
putes, from mere misunderstanding of words, so pernicious to philosophical
discussion, might be avoided. Hume at first displayed some disindi nation,
founded on previous experience of others, to encourage this new assailant
*' I wish," he said, " that the parsons would confine themselves to their old
occupation of worrying one another, and leave pliilosophers to argue with tern*

2 Reid's Kfiss}?, (1820,) vf.

* Essri}'!, viii. Stewart, who praises the principles of this Essay, (Life ut sup. 510.) was
more than most philosophers of his eminence, addicted to the vice detected in one of its
forms, viz., comnarison between mental and physical nature, not merely to the extent of
illuttration, but oi analogy.

DR. THOMAS REIT). 165

per, moderation, and good inannen.'' But his liberal iniiid did not permit
him, on seeing tlie manuscript, and knowing tlie worth of its author, to yield to
his hasty anticipations. Writing personally to Beid, he said, << By Dr Blair's
means I have been faTOured with the perusal of your performance, which I hare
read with great pleasure and attention. It is certainly very rare, that a piece
so deeply philosophical, is ivrote with so much spirit, and affords so much en-
tertainment to the reader, though I must still regret the disadvantages under
which I read it, as I never had the whole performance at once before me, and |

could not be able fully to compare one part with another. To this reason i

chiefly I attribute some obscurities, which, in spite of your short analysis or ab-
stract, still seem to hang over your system. For I must do you the justice to
own, that, when I enter into your ideas, no man appears to express himself with
gi-eater perspicuity than you do ; a talent which, above all others, is requisite
in that species of literature which you have cultivated. There are some objec*
tions, which I would willingly propose, to the chapter Of Sight, did I not sus-
pect tliat they proceed from my not sufficiently understanding it ; and I am the
more confirmed in this suspicion, as Dr Black tells me that the former objec-
tions I had made, had been derived chiefly from that cause. I shall, therefore,
forbear till the whole can be before me, and shall not at present propose any
fiirther difliculties to your reasonings. I shall only say, that if you have been
able to clear up these abstruse and important subjects, instead of being morti-
fied, I shall be so vain as to pretend to a share of the praise ; and shall think
that my errors, by having at least some coherence, had led you to make a more
strict review of my principles, which were the common ones, and to perceive
their futility."

It may be as well here to pass over the intervening events of Dr Reid^s life,
and give a brief sketch of the principles of his philosophy, as developed in his
other works, to which, as Mr Stewart has properly remarked, the Inquiry into
the Human Mind forms an introduction. In 1785, he published his " Essays
on the Intellectual Powers of Man," and in 1788, those on the " Active
Fowei-s.^' These 'two have been generally republished together, under the
well known title, " Essays on the Powers of the Human Mind ;" a work which
has gradually gained ground in the estimation of intelligent thinkers, and is
now used as a text book by many eminent teachers of philosophy. When it is
said that Dr Reid's philosophy is entirely, or intended to be entirely syntheti-
cal, and that it adopts no theory, except as an induction from experiment, it
will readily be understood, that a riew of Its general principles and tendency
cannot be given ; but it is not on this account very difiicult to describe the
method by which he reasoned, and came to the difterent conclusions he has
adopted. Beid has generally received, and probiibly with justice, the praise of
having been the first to extend, by a general system, the process of reasoning
from experiment, so strongly recommended by Bacon in natural science, to the
operations of the mind. In this he was, to a certain extent, anticipated by
Hume, who, especially in his arguments on cause and efiect, and his essay on
miracles, proceeded on analyses of our experience : but the two philosophers
followed a different method ; the sceptic using his experience to show the futi-
lity of any systems of philosophy which had been raised ; while Beid made use
of them to redeem, as it were, mental science, by eschewing these systems, and
founding one of his own on that experience whidi he saw had enabled the scep-
tic to demolish the systems, destitute of such a support. But to accomplish his
purpose— and this is what distinguishes his philosophy from all other systems —
Beid found it necessary to set bounds to his inquiries, which other philosophei-s
had passed. He abstained from that speculation concerning the nature and

166

mu THOMAS BEID.

eneiice of the iioAd iti$i£, whicb, » followed by oUwh^ bad fomed tbe moet
coDTenient object of demditien to the eoepiic, and limited himielf to- obierwa
tione on the opentioiu of the miiidy a* he mw Uiem performed belone hfan* In**
steady theoelbre, of appealing; to any theonea of hie- own (which he haiew would
require to be^founded on Tagiie apeculation, and independently ofo bt e ina tion,) on
the eieanoe of the miady. when he tried the truth of hiaobtenmtion^.he appealed
to what hft caUed. ** Qommoa mbm^" ov that aenae, however acquired, wfaidi
prempU ui to believe one thiuf ^ and diiMiere another. Hsnce it mig^ht be
said, in common language, that, initead of makinf hie inquiaea by meant* of
subtle and metaphyaical reaaoninga, he ataCed hia riewe^ truiting that hia leadeaa
would believw him fisom their common ieni% and, if they did not dioGee to do
so,, knowing that the greatec part of the woald wm on hit tide, detpite of any
fineMpun objectiona which, might be produced by tbe tophiaL The foUowiag,.
perhapi, more than moat other pamagea in bis worim, beaia a.nwrked tinmp of hia
method of leaaoning.: ** Perhape Dee Cartea meant not to aawme hit own exiti-
ence in thia enthymeme„ butthe exiatence of thought, and to infer faom that the
exittence of a mind, or tubjeot of thought. But why did he not prove the exiat-
ence of hit thought ? Contcieuanen» it may be icid^ Toucbet that But who
is Toucher of the contciousnem ? Can any man pcoTO that hia oonaclouanew
may not deoeive him ? No man can : nor can we give a better xeaaon fiur tnut.
ing to it, than that every man, while hit mind it teund, it deleimined, by the
oonttitution of hit nature, to give implicit belief to it, and to laugh at, or to
pity, the man. who doubts itt tettimony. And it not every man in hit witt aa
determined to take hit exittence upon trust, at hit contdoutnem ?*'* It is eaaier
to find objections to, than to erect a system of metaphysical philosophy ; and
that of Raid affordt ample room for oontroverty. Admitting that the only
gvound on which we can ever place metaphysical truths is, the general belief
of men of sound mind,, it mutt still, in every instance, be a very questionable
matter, whether theee men of sound mind have come to thB-righi conclusion,,,
and whether it may not be poitible, by a little more ineettigation and argu-
ment, even though conducted by a tneptical philotopher, to show reasons for
coming to a different conclusion, and to establish it upon the very same
grounds, vi&, the general belief of men of sound mind When Galileo dis-
covered that nature abhorred a vacuum, and was afterwards obliged to admit
that this abhorrence did not extend above thirty-three feet, many men of sound
mind probably felt themtelvet " determined, by the constitution of tlieir nature,
to give implicit belief to both positions, until one discovered tbe elTect of at-
mospherlc pressure, and got men of common sense to- admit that nature had no
greater horror at a vacuum than at a plenum. It became a neoessarv oonse*
quence of this method of reasoning, that Reid^s first, or instinctive principles,
were less simple and more numerous tlian thote of other philotophers ; and his
opponents accused him of having by tliat means perplexed and complicated the
science of mind. In simplif}'ing this science, there are two evils to be avoided ;
a propensity to refine every thing into first principles, unsupported by reason ;
and the lesser vice of producing confusion, by not extending speculation to fax
towards the establishment of first principles, as there may be good reason for
proceeding. It wns probably in his anxiety to avoid' the former, that Reid^ in-
curred not unjust censure for sometimes embracing^ the latter alternative. The
** Prindple of Credulity," and the ** Principle of Veracity," ai^ certainly ob-
jectionable. Reid has had many warm followers, and many ^ho have looked
on his philosophy with great contempt Those who conceive that all system!!
of mental philosophy are merely useful for the exercise they give the mind,
* inquiry, (1819,) 28.

I !

!i ;

DR. THOMAS KEID. 167

end the undoubted truths which they oocasionaUy lay open, will perhaps make
the faivMt appreciation of hu merit, and by such it may perhaps be allowed,
that the broad method he followed, has enabled him to lay liefbre the world a
greater number of interesting circumstances connected with moral science, tbnn
most ether philosophers have been enabled to display. Before leaving the sub-
ject of his works, it may be mentioned, that he composed, as a portion of lord
Karnes* Sketches of the History of Man, *' A brief Account of Aristofle^s
Logic ;''*tbe chief defect of 'this production is, ite professed brevity. It is very
clear and distinct, and leads one to regret, that so accurately thinking and un-
prejudieed a ^vriter, "had not enriched the world with a more extensive view of
the Aristotelian and other systems.

In 1768, while lie was, it may be presumed, preparing his Inquiry for the
pren, a knowledge of what was expected to come from his pen, and his general
fame, prompted the uriivenflty of Glasgow to invite him to fill the chair of na-
tural philosophy there. In this office, professor Stewart remarks, that ** his
researches concerning the human mind, and the principles of morals, which had
occupied but an inconsiderable space in the wide circle of science, allotted to
him by his former office, were extended and methodized in a course, which em-
ployed five hours every week, during six months of tlie year. The example of
bis illustrious predecessor, and the prevailing topics of conversation around him,
occasionally turned his thoughts to commercial politics, and produced some in-
genious essays on drffisrent questions connecited wifli trade, which were com-
municated to a private society of his academical friends. His early passion for
the mathematical sciences was revived by the conversation of Simson, Moor, and
the Wilsons ; and at the age of fifty-five, he attended the lectures of Black
with a juvenile curiosity and enthusiasm.*' Dr Keid^ constant desire for the
aequisiiion of facts on which to raise his deductions, kept him continually awake
to all new discoveries ; and he spent many, even of the latter days of his long
life, in observing the truths which were developed by this illustrious chemist.
The biographer, after observing that the greater part of the course of lectures
delivered by Dr Reid at GlasgoWf is to be found in bis published works, pro-
oeeds : *' Beside hir speculations on the intellectual and active powen of man,
and a system of practical ethics, his course comprehended some general views
with respect to naturid jurisprudence, and the fundamental principles of poli-
tics. A few lectures on rhetoric, which were 4«ad at a separate hour, to a
more advanced class of students, formed a voluntary addition to the appropriate
functions of his office, to which, it is probable, he was prompted rather by a
wish to tupply what ivas then a deficiency in the established course of educa-
tion, than by any pTedilection for a branch of study so foreign to his ordinary
punuits." It may be right to quote, from the same authority, those observa-
tions as to his method of teaching, which none but an ear-witness can make.
*' In his elocution and mode of instruction, there was nothing peculiarly attrac-
tive. He seldom, if ever, indulged himself in the warmth of extempore dis-
Goune ; nor was his manner of reading calculated to increase the effect of what
he had committed to memory. Such, however, was the simplicity and perspi-
cuity of his style ; sudi the gravity and authority of his character; and such the
general interest of his young hearers in the doctrines which he taught, that by the
numerous audiences to which his instructions were addressed, he was heard uni-
formly with fhe most silent and respectful attention. On this subject, I speak
from personal Icnowledge, having had the good fortune, during a considerable
part of winter 1772, to be one of his pupils." In 1781, Dr Reid retired from
the duties of his professorship; and while his labour and assiduity had earned for
him a full right to enjoy his old age in literary retirement^ his mental faculties

168

JOHN BENNIB.

Remained unimpaired. After this period, he conununicated some ewayi to
the Phiiotophiod Society. The mott important were : '* An EzaminatioD of
Prieitley's Opinions concerning Matter and Mind ;** ** Obsenrations on the
Utopia of Sir Thomas More ;" and '* Physiological Reflections on Muscular
Motion." By this time Reid had suffered considerable domestic affliction; four
of his children had died after reaching the age of maturity, learing one daugh-
ter married to Patrick Carmichael, M. D. After his retirement, his wife died.
In a letter to professor Stewart, he thus affectlngly describes his situation after
that erent : " By the loss of ray bosom friend, with whom I lifed fifty-two
years, I am brought into a kind of new world, at a Ume of life when old habits
are not easily forgot, or new ones acquired. But erery world is God^s world,
and I am thankful for the comforts he has left me. Mrs Carmichael has now
the care of two old deaf men, and does ererything in her power to please
them ; and both are very sensible of her goodness. I have more health than
at my time of life I had any reason to expect I walk about ; entertain myself
with reading what I loon forget ; can conTerse with ,one person, if he arti-
culates distinctly, and is within ten inches of my left ear ; and go to church,
without hearing one word of what is said. You know I never had any preten-
sions to Tivacity, but I am slill free from languor and ennui" In the summer of
1796, he spent a few weeks in Edinburgh, and his biographer, who was then
his almost constant companion, mentions, that, with the exception of his memory,
his mental faculties appeared almost unimpaired, while his physical powers were
progreisirely sinking. On his return to Glasgow, apparently in his usual
health and spirits, a violent disorder attacked him about the end of September;
and, after repeated strokes of palsy, he died on the 7th October following.
The affectionate biographer, in drawing a character of this eminent and excel-
lent man, may be said to sum up the particulars of it in the words with which
he co^nmences. ** Its roost prominent features were-^intrepid and inflexible
rectitude ; — a pure and devoted attadnnent to truth ;.»4ind an entire command
(acquired by the unwearied exertions of a long life) over all his passions."

RENNIE, John, a celebrated civil engineer, was the youngest son of a re-
spectable farmer at Phantaaie, in East Lothian, where he was bom, June 7,
1761. Before he had attained his sixth year, he had the misfortune to lose
his father; his education, nevertheless, was carried on at the parish school
(Prestonkirk) by his surviving relatives. The peculiar talents of young Rennie
seem to have been called forth and fostered by his proximity to the workshop
of tlie celebrated mechanic, Andrew Meikle, the inventor or improver of the
thrashing-machine. He frequently visited that scene of mechanism, to admire
the complicated processes which he saw going forward, and amuse himself wiih
the tools of the workmen. In time, he began to imitate at home the models of
machinery which he saw there ; and at the early age of ten he had made the
model of a wind-mill, a steam-engine, and a pile-engine, the last of which is aaid
to have exhibited much practical dexterity.

At twelve, Rennie left school, and entered into the employment of Andrew
Meikle, with whom he continued two years. He then spent two years at Dun«
bar, for the purpose of improving his general education. So early as 1777,
when only sixteen years of age, his Dunbar master considered him fit to super-
intend the school in his absence, and, on being removed to the academy at
Perth, recommended Rennie as his successor. This, however, was not the oc-
cupation whidi the young mechanician desired, and he renewed his former la-
bours in the workshop of Andrew Meikle, employing his leisure hours in model-
ling and drawing machinery. Before reaching the age of eighteen, he had
erected two or three corn-mills in his native parish ; but the first work which

JOHN BBNNra. 169

he undertook on his own account was the rebuilding of the flour-millt at Inreiv
gowrie, near Dundee.

VlewB of an ambitious kind gradually opened to him, and, by sealously
prosecuting his professional labours in summer , he was enabled to spend the
winter in Edinburgh , where he attended the lectures of professor Robison on
natural philosophy, and those of Dr Black on chemistry. Haring thus fitted
himself in some measure for the profession of an engineer, he proceeded to
SohOy with a recommendation from Robison to Messrs Bolton and Watt On
the way, he examined the aqueduct bridge at Lancaster, the docks at Liver-
pool, and the interesting works on the Bridgewater canal. At Soho, he wns
immediately taken into employment, and it was not long ere Mr Watt discor-
ered the extraordinary talents of his young assistant In the erection of the
Albion mills in London, which was completed in 1789, Mr Rennie was in-
trusted by his employers with the construction of the mill-work and machinery,
which wei'e admitted to be of superior excellence. These mills consisted of
two engines, each of fifty hone power, and twenty pairs of millstones, of which
twelre or more pairs, with the requisite machinery, were constantly kept at
work. In place of wooden wheels, so subject to frequent derangement, wheels
of cast-iron, with the teeth truly formed and finished, and properly proportioned to
the work, were here employed ; the other machinery, which used to be made of
wood, was made of cast-iron in improved forms. This splendid establishment^
which Mr Watt acknowledges to liare formed the commencement of the modern
improred system of mill- work, was destroyed in 1791, by wilful fire, being ob-
noxious to popular prejudices, under the mistaken supposiUon .of its being a
monopoly. The mechanism, however, established Mr Ronnie's fame, and he
soon after began to obtain extensive employment on his. own account

The earlier years of his professional life were chiefly spent in mill- work ;
and his merits in this line may be briefly stated. One striking improvement
was in the bridge-tree. It was formerly customary to place the vertical axis of
the running mill-stone in tlie middle of the bridge-tree, which was supported
only at its two extremities. The efiTect of this was that the bridge-tree yielded
to the variations of pressure arising from the greater or less quantity of grain
admitted between the mill-stones, which was conceived to be an useful eflect
Mr Rennie, however, made the bridge-tree perfectly immovable, and thi:s
freed the machinery from that irregular play which sooner or later proves fatal
to every kind of mechanism. Another improvement by Mr Rennie has been
adverted to in the above account of the Albion mills ; but the principal one
was in the comparative advantige which he took of the water power. He so
economized the power of water as to give an increase of energy, by it& specific
gravity, to the natural fall of streams, and to make his mills equal to fourfold
the produce of those, whicli, before his time, depended solely on the impetus ot
the current

Mr Rennie was gradually attracted from the profession of a mechanician to
that of an engineer. In the course of a few years after his first coming into
public notice, he was employed in a considerable number of bridges and othcr
public works, all of which he executed in a manner which proved his extraor-
dinary genius. His principal bridges are those of Kelso, Leeds, Musselburgh,
Newton-Stewart, Boston, and New Galloway. The first, which was erected be-
tween 1799 and 1803, has been greatly admired for its elegance, and its hnp-
py adaptation to the beautiful scenery in its neighbourhood. It consists of a
level road- way, resting on Ave elliptical arches, each of which has a span of
seventy-three feet, and a rise of twenty-one. The bridge of Musselburgh is on
a smaller scale, but equally perfect in its construction. A remarkable testi-

170 JOHN RfiNNIJB.

nony to iU neriu n-at paid in Mr Bennie s presence, by ui untalofcd mb q£
nature. He was taking the work ofl' the contractor's handt, when a magiitimt*
of the town, who was pretent, asked a countryman who waa pasting at the Usm
with hit cart, bow he liked the new bridge^ *' Brig,^ answered the nan, ** iV%
nae brig am ; ye neither ken whan ye*re on^t, nor whan ye're afTt.'' It must
be TOUMrked that this bridge tupeiaeded an old one in its immediate ne^gb-
bourheood, which had a very precipitous road-way^ and waa in erery respect
the opposite of the new one.

Mr Bennie waa destined, howerer, to leaTO more splendid monuments of bia
talenU in thia partioukr department of hie profession. The Waterloo bridge
across the Thames at London, of which he was the architect, would haTO been
sufficient in itself to stamp him as an engineer of the first order. This magni*
fioent public work was commenced in 1811, and finished in 1817, at the ex-
pense of cather more than a million of money. It may safely be described »b
one of the noblest slruoUires of the kind in Uie world, whether we regard the
simple and chaste grandeur of its architecture, tlie impression of indestructibili-
ty whkah it forces on the mind of the beholder, or iU adaptation to the useful
INirpose for which it was intended. It consists of nine e^ual arches, of 127
feet span ; the breadth between the parapets is 49 ftU ; and the roadrway ia
perfectly flat Mr Ronnie also planned the Southwark bridge, which is of casU
iron, and has proved very stable, notwithstanding many prophecies to the con-
trary. The plan of the new London bridge was likewise furnished by him^
but of this public work he did not live to see even the oommenoement

Among the public works of diflerent kinds executed by Mr Rennie may be
mentioned ; — of canals, the Aberdeen, tlie Great Western, the Kennet and Avon,
the Portsmoutli, the Birmingham, and the Worcester ; — of docks, those at Hull,
Leith, Greenedc, Liverpool, and Dublin, besides the West India docks in the
city of London ; — and of harbours, those at Berwick, Dunleary, Howlh, New-
haven, and Queentferry. In addition to these naval works, be planned varions
important improvements on the national dock-yards at Plymouth, Portsmouth,
Chatham, and Sheerness ; and the new naval aisenal at Pembroke was con-
structed from his designs. But by far tlie greatest of all his naval works wns
the celebrated breakwater at Plymouth. It is calculated that he planned
works to the amount of fifty millions in all, of which nearly twenty millioca
were expended under his own superintendence.

Mr Bennie died, October 16, 1831, of inflammation in tlie liver, whidi had
afflicted him for some yesrs. By his wife, whom he nKirried in 1789, he left
six children, of whom the eldest, Mr George Rennie, followed the same pro*
fession as his father. This eminent man was buried with great foneral honours,
m St Paul% cathedral, near the grave of Sir Christopher Wren.

The grand merit of Mr Bennie as an engineer is allowed to have been his
almost intuitive perception of what was necessary for certain amigned purposes
With little theoretical knowledge, he had so closely studied the actual forms of
the works of his predeoessoia, that he could at length trust in a great measure
to a kind of tact which he possessed in his own mind, and which could hardly
have been communicated He had the art of applying to every situation where
he was called to act profemionally, the precise form of remedy that was want*
ing to the existing evil, — whether it was to stop the violence of the most bois-
terous sea — to make new harbours, or to render those safe which were before
dangerous or inacceuible — to redeem districts of fruitful land from en-
croachment by the ocean, or to deliver them from the pestilence of stagnant
marsh — to level hills or to tie them together by aqueducts or arches, or, by
embankment, to raise the valley between them — to make bridges that for

JAMB8 RENWICK.

171

be«utj, surpass nil othen, and for strvn^h se«m destined to Isst to the ktest
posterity — Rennie had do rirai Though he carried the desire of durability
almost to a fault, and thus occasioned more expense, perhaps, on seine occa-
sions, than other engrineers would hare considered strictly necessary, he was
equally admired for his conscientiousness in the fulfilment of his laboun, as for
his genius in their oontrirance. He would suffer no subterftige for real strength
to be resorted to by the contractors who undertook to execute bis plans.
Elevated by his genius abore mean and immediate considerations^ he felt in alt
his proceedings, as if he were in the court of posterity : he sought not only to
satisfy his employers, but all future generations.

Although Kennie did not devote himself to the acquisition of theoretical
knowledge, excepting to that general extent which is required by every welU
informed engineer, he was fond of those investigations of a mixed character,
where the results of experiment are combined by mathematical rules, and. a
train of inquiry directed and modified by the lights of theory. In his instru-
ment for ascertaining tlie strength of flowing water, he has made a contribu-
tion to science of no small Importance.

In person, Mr Rennie was greatly above the usual siae. His figure was
ooRinandiDg, and his features massive and strong, but with a nuld expression.
He was endeared to all who knew him by the gentleness of his teaiper ; and
the cheerfblness with which he communicated the riches of bis mind, and for-
warded the views of those who made useful improvemeDts or discoveriee in
machinery, procured him universal respect

RENWICK, Jamics, a celebrated non- conforming clergyman, was bom in the
parish of Glencairn, Dumfries-shire, on the 15th of February, 166S. His pa-
rents, who were in humble circumstances, and of whom b« was the only surviv-
ing diild, seem to have looked upon him with peculiar fondnesa-— especially his
mother, who regarded him ns a special gift, an answer to her prayers, and one
who was intended to be more than ordinarily useful in the world. His child-
hood was watched over with peculiar solicitude ; and their hopes were still fur-
ther excited, and their confidence strengthened, by the sweetness and docility
of his disposition. Piety marked his earliest years, and his attention to his
books was unwearied ; circumstances which induced his parents, amidst many
difRculties, to keep him at school, till he found the meant of putting himself in
the way of attaining greater proficiency in the city of Edinburgh, where, by at-
tending upon, and assisting in their studies, the children of persons more
wealthy than himself, he was enabled to prosecute his own. After having at*
tended the university there, however, he was denied laureation, in consequence
of refusing to take the oetli of allegiance, and was under the necessity of prose-
cuting his studies more privately, and in the best manner he coulcL In tbo
mean time, he was a diligent attendant on the secret meetings of the persecuted
presbyteriansy and took a deep interest in the questions which at that time were
so keenly agitated among, and at length so widely divided, that unfortunate
party. Of the unfaithfulness of the indulged ministers in general, he had
long bad strong impressions, and these seem to have been oonfinned, by hear-
ing the testimony, and witnessing the martyrdom, of Mr Donald Corgill, on
the S7th of July, 1681 ; an event which determined bin to attach himself to
the small remnant which adhered to the principles of that sincere and excellect
Christian.

It was on the death of Mr Cargtil, when, being deprived of public ordi-'
nances, tlm portion of the sufferers formed themselves into particnlar socieiiea,
united in one general correspondence, in which Mr Renwick was particularly
active. In the month of October^ he held a conference with a number of the

172

JAWES RENWICE«

more influential of the party, concerning the testimonies of aome of the martyra
lately executed ; when, it it taid, he refreshed them much, by showing them how
much he was griered to hear these martyrs disdainfully spoken of; how much he
was o/fended with some that attended the curates, pled for the paying of cess, and
for owning and defending the authority of the tyrant, and how much he longed to
see a formal testimony lifted up against all those, with their attendant defec-
tions. On the 15th of December, in the same year in which Mr Cargill suffered,
his adherents held their first general meeting, at which was drawn up the paper,
known by the name of The Lanark Declaration, from the place where it was
proclaimed, on- the 13th day of January, 1683. Mr Ren wick was not the
writer of this document, some parts of which he always allowed to be '' incon-
siderately worded ;" but he was one of the party who proclaimed it, and at the
same time burnt the test, and the act of succession of the duke of York to the
crown.

The boldness of this declaration, which embraced both the Rutherglen and
Sanquhar declarations, emitted in the years 1679 and 1680, and declared the
whole acts of the gorernmont of Charles Stuart, from his restoration in 1660,
down to that day, to be utterly illegal, as emanating from a pure usurpation
upon the fundamental laws of the kingdom, and many of them, in their own na.
ture, tyrannical, and cruel in the highest degree, astonished their enemies, and
astounded not a few of their best friends, who, to correct the unfavourable re-
ports concerning them, which, through the malice of their enemies, were
circulated among the cliurches of the low countries, found it necessary to
commission Gordon of Earlston to the United Prorinoes, to state their case as
it actually stood, and to solicit that compassion and sympathy which was denied
them ^y their own countrymen. Earlston met with a very faTOurable recep-
tion ; and it was proposed, seeing the unirersities in Scotland were closed
against all such as were desimus of maintaining a clear consdence, to hare
students educated under the eye of these churches at their unirersities, who
might be ordained to the work of the ministry, and that there should thus be
a succession of faithful labourers kept up for the benefit of the present and of
future generations. This proposal was at once embraced by the societies,
as the only probable method of being supplied with a dispensation of gos-
pel ordinances ; and Mr Ren wick, along with some others, was accord-
ingly sent over, and admitted into the university of Groningen. After he
had attended six months, the progrea he had made was such, together with
the urgency of the case, (for the societies had not so much as one preacher all
this time,} that it was thought proper he should be ordained, and sent back
to his native land. He was, accordingly, after no little trouble, through the
interest of Mr Robert Hamilton, who was well known there, ordained by
the classes of Groningen ; when, longing to employ any little talent he
possessed for the advancement of the cause of Christ, and the benefit of his suf-
fering people, he proceeded to Rotterdam, intending to avail himself of the
first opportunity of a ship going for Scotland. Finding a ship ready to sail, Mr
Renwick embarked at the Brill for his native country ; but, afler being some
time on board, he was so much annoyed by some profane passengen, that ho
left the vessel, and entered another tliat was going to Ireland. In consequence
of a violent storm, the vessel put into the harbour of Rye, in England, where ho
was in no small danger from the noise and disturbance created at the time by
the Rye-house plot He, however, got safely off, and, after a tedious and stormy
passage, was landed at Dublin. In a short time he embarked for Scotbnd, and
with no little difficulty and danger, succeeded in landing on the west coast of
that kingdom, where he commenced those weary wanderings which were to

JAMES RENWICK. 173

close only with his capture and death. His (int public sermon \mi delirered
in the moss of Darmead, in the month of September, 1683, where he was cor-
dially and kindly received by a poor and persecuted people, who had lost, for
the gospers salce, whatever they possessed of temporal enjoyments, and were
ready for that consideration to peril their lives. On this occasion, for his own
vindication, and for the satisfaction of his hearers, he gave an account of his
call to the ministry, and declared his adherence to the doctrine, worship, dis-
cipUne, and government of the church of Scotland. He, at the snme time, gave
them his opinion upon the particular questions which were agitating the minds
of men at the time ; stating particularly what class of ministers and professors
he wsM willing to hold fellowship with, and also that with which he could not
In this statement, as he studied to be plain and particular, he mentioned seveial
names, which gave great offence to some, and was employed with much assiduity
to excite prejudices, and create slanders, against both his person and ministry ;
and, with all the other hardslilps of hia lot, he was pursued everywhere by
misrepresentation and calumny.

Amidst so much clamour of friends and of enemies, he soon attracted the no-
tice of the council, to whom nothing was so terrible as field- preaching. He
was speedily denounced as a traitor, and all who followed him were pursued as
abettors of rebellion. No house that he entered, if it was known, escaped pil.
lage ; and no one who heard him, if he could be found, escaped punishment
Nothing can be conceived more desperate than his situation ; not daring to ven-
ture abroad, yet finding no place of rest, except in the most remote and inac-
cessible retreats. Called upon nightly to confer, to preach, to pray, to baptize,
and to catechise, with no better accommodation than the cavern of the rock, an
excavation in the moss, or, at the best, a ruined and deserted shepherd's shiel,
where a fire of sticks or heath, and a scanty morsel brought from afar by the
hands of children, were his greatest luxuries ; yet he prosecuted his labours
with remarkable success, greatly increasing the number of his followers in the
course of a few months.

In the succeeding year, 16 84, his difficulties and discouragements were consider*
ably increased. The revilings of those who should have been his helpers, became
more bitter, and the rigilance of his persecutors more unremitting. Often was
he pursued for days and nights together, and to all appearance left without
the poAibility of escape ; yet he still escaped as if by miracle. Enraged be*
yond measure at the increase of his followers, and their want of success in so
many attempts to apprehend him, the council, in the month of September in
this year, issued out letters of intercommuning against him ; which, reducing
the whole body of the sufferers to the most incredible hardships, drove them,
between madness and despair, to publish, in the month of October following,
their apologetical declaration ; wherein, after stating their abhorrence of the
idea of taking the lives of such as difl*er from them in opinion, they declared
their firm persuasion of their right, from the word of God, and fundamental
laws of the kingdom, to defend themselves in the exercise of their religion :
and^ after naming the persons whom they supposed to be their chief persecutors,
and whom they threatened with immediate and full retaliation, they add, *^Now,
let not any think, our God assisting us, we will be so slack-handed in time
coming, to put matters in execution as heretofore we have been, seeing we are
bound faithfully and valiantly to maintain our covenants and the cause of
Christ Therefore, let all these foresaid persons be admonished of their hazard.
And particularly all ye intelligencers, who, by your voluntary informations, en*
deavour to render us up to the enemies' hands, that our blood may be shed —
fur by such courses ye both endanger your inunortal souls, if repentance prevent

174

JA5IBS RENWICE.

noty teeing God will make inquitition for theddhig the predooi blood of Ms
nintt, whatever be the thougfhti of men ; and also your bodies, teeing ye render
yourtelret actually and malicioutly guilty of our blood, wbote imioceDcy the
Lord knoweth. However, we are torry at our very beartt, that any of yea
should choote tuch courtet, either with bloody Doeg, to shed our blood, or with
the flattering Ziphites, to inform perMcuton where we are to be found. So we
lay again, we desire you to take warning of the basard that ye inoor by follow-
ing such courses ; for the sinless necessity of telf-preterration, aoeompaoied with
holy zeal for Christ^s reigning in our land, and tuppretting of proCsnity, will
more ut not to let you patt unpiinislied. Gall to your remenbranoe, all that it
in peril, is not lost ; and all that is delayed, it not forgiven. Therefore, ex-
pect to be dealt with, as ye deal with ua, to far aa our power can reach; not
becaute we are incited by a tinful spirit of rerenge for private and penonal in^
juries; but, mainly, becaute by our fall, reformation lufKira damage, yea, the
power of godliness, through ensnaring flatteriea, and terrible threatening will
thereby be brought to a very loir ebb, the consciences of many more dreadfully
furrendered, and profanity more ettablithed and propagated. And aa upon the
one hand, ite hare here declared our purpotet anent malieioiit injorers of ut ;
to, upon the other hand, we do hereby beteech and obtett all you who with
well to Zion, to show your good-will towards us, by acting with ut, and In your
placet and ttationi, according to your abilitiet, oouneelling, encoaraging, and
Itrengthening our hands, for this great work of holding up the etandard of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Think not that in anywise you are called to lie by neutnl
and indifllbrent, especially in tuch a day ; for we are a people, by holy covenants
dedicated unto the Lord, in our persons, liret, libertiee, and fortunet, for de-
fending and promoting thit gloriout work of reformation, notwithttanding all
oppotition that is or may be made thereunto, yea and twom against all neutrality
and indiflerency in the Lord*t roatiert. And, rooieorer, we are fully peteuadeil
that the Lord, who now hideth hit face lirom the houte of Jacob, will suddenly
appear, and bring light out of darknett, and perfect strength out of treaknets,
and cause judgment return again unto righteousness.**

When this declaration was first proposed, Mr Ren wick was averse to it, fear-
ing that it might be followed by bad effectt : nor were hit feart diaappMnted.
A reward of five hundred meiks was ofl^red for every penon who owned tlte
declaration, or rather who would not disown it upon oath. No person' was al-
lowed to travel without a pass, who was above the age of sixteen ; many wero
shot instantly In the fieldt, if they refuted to take, even at the handt of a
common trooper, the oath of objuration ; others, refusing the oath, were
brought in, sentenced, and executed. On all whidi aoeountt, Mr Renwick
wai often heard to tay, he wished from his heart that that declaration had
never been published. The year 1685 did not at all better hit attnatien ; ho
was ttill persecuted with the utmost fury, yet he ventured, in the month cfM^y
that year, to the market cross of Sanquhar, accompanied by two hundred men,
where he published a declaration against the suecettion of Jamee, duke of York,
called from that circumttance, the Sanquhar Dedarntion. Refuting to con-
cur with Argyle, who this year made an unsuoeettful attempt from Hol-
land, a division arose among his followers, seveial of whom withdrew from the
aocieties, and became, both by word and pen, his bitter tradueert ; and in ad-
dition to all hit other aiilictiont, when he had put his life in his hand, aa it
were^ to dispense the ordinances of the gospel to the bereaved people, he was
met even by thote who had been his friends, with protestations agaiutt him,
taken in Hie name of large districts of the countr)% Even Mr Peden was, by
the multiplied slanders of his enemies, spirited up against him, and was not r»-

JAMES RSNWICE. 175

oonciledy till after a conversation witli ham, when he «aa upon hit deaih4N)dy
and unable to repair the injury. In the midst of tlieie multiplied diacoumfe-
mentSy he was cheered by the aaaistance and fellowtliip of Mr David Huntton,
a minister from Ireland, a^ Mr Alexander Shields, a preac:her who had made
his escape from London, both of whom espoused the sauM testimony, and periled
their llree alooff with him. It was but a short time, however, thai he en-
joyed the aid of these intrepid men ; Mr Uunston being necessitated to go
to Ireland, and Mr Shields going over to Holland, to superintend the printing
of the informatory vindication. It waa in this year tliat James VII., for the
encouragement of the catholics, set aside the penal statutes, and gave out
his indulgences, allowing ail to worship In their own way, except in bams or
in fields; which, to the disgrace of die Scottish churcli, was embsaoed with abun-
dance of grattthitory addresses by her whole body, ministers, and members,
Mr Renwick and hia followers excepted. This was a new addition to his
troubles, and opened the mouths of complying professors still more against
him. About this time, too, he became infirm in body, could neither walk
afoot nor ride, and was carried to his preadiing places in the fields with great
difficulty ; though, in the time of preaching, he felt nothing of his weakness. The
pursuit after him «vas now doubly hot, and an hundred pounds sterling was ofiered
for him, either dead or alive. Coming to Edinburgh in the beginning of the
year 1688, to give in a testimony to the synod of tolerated ministers, against the
toleration which they had accepted, and having delivered it into the hands of Mr
Kennedy, their moderator, he passed over to Fife, where he continued preach-
ing at difllerent places, till the end of January, when he returned to Edinburgh,
and took up his lodgings in the house of a friend on the Castle bill, a dealer in
uncuatoined goods. A party coming to search lor these, discovered Mr
Renwick, and apprehended him. He did not, however, surrender himself
into the hands of his enemies without resistance. He drew out and fired
a pocket pistol, and having thus made an opening among bis assailants,
escaped into tlie Castle ivynd, and ran towards the head of the Cowgate ; but,
one of the party having hit him a violent stroke on the breast with a long
itafi* as he passed out, he waa staggered, ajod fell several times, and having lost
his hat, was laid bold of by a person in the street^ who probably knew nothing
of the man, or the crimes hnd against him» Being taken to the guard- house,
he ivas there kept for a considerable time, and sufiered much from the inso-
lence of some that came to see him. The captain of the guard seeing him of
little stature, and of a comely oounteaance, exclaimed, ** Is this the boy which
* the whole nation has been troubled about ?" After undergoing examination
before the council, he was committed dose prisoner, and put in irons.
Before he received his indictflBent lie %vas carried before the lord chancellor,
Tarbet, and examined upon his owning the authority of James VII., the paying
of ceu, carrying arras at field meetings, &c. ; upon all of which he delivered hia
mind with such faithfulness, freedoui, and composure of mind as astonished all
that were present. He was examined upon the paying of cess, in consequence
of the notes of two sermons on the subject being found upon him when he wos
taken. Among these notes were also some memorandums of names, some in
full, and some with merely the initials ; all these, to avoid threatened torture,
he explained with the utmost freedom, knowing that the persons %vere already
as obnoxious as anything he could say would make them. This ingenuousness on
his part had a wonderful eftect in calming their rage against hiui, and Tarbet
mildly asked him, what penuasiofi he was of; to which he replied, of the pro-
testant preebyterian. He was then asked how he difiered from other presby-
terians iiho had accepted his majesty's toleration, owned his authority, &c., && ?

17G

TVILtUM RICHARDSON.

to which he answered, Uiat he adhered to the old preibyterian principles
(whidi all were obliged by the corenants to maintain) as generally professed by
the church and nation, from the year 1640 to 1660, from which some had
apostatized for a little liberty (they knew not how short) aa they theniselres had
done for a little honour. Tarbet admitted that these were the presbyterian
principles, and that all presbyterians would own them as well y he, if they had
but the courage. Mr Renwick was tried, February 8,, before the high couri
of justiciary, upon an indictment which charged him with denying the king's
authority, owning the coTonants, refusing to pay cess, and maintaining the
lawfulness of defensive arms ; and, upon his oonfeuion, was condemned to dip.
The day fixed for his execution was the 1 1th, but it was postponed to the l^th,
in the hope that he would gratify the court by petitioning for a pardon, which,
it has never been doubted, would have been gladly extended to him. With
the constancy which had marked hia whole life, he refused to do so, and was
accordingly executed, being the last person who suffered a judicial death for
religion's sake in Scotland.

RICHARDSON, Williax, an elegant miscellaneous ivriter, and professor of
humanity in the university of Glasgow, was bom, October 1, 1743, at Aber-
foyle, of which parish his father, James Richardson, was minister. Afler a
course of Latin and Greek under the parish schoolmaster, he was pUoed in his
fourteenth year at the uuivertity of Glasgow, where he pursued his studies un-
der professors Muirhead and Moor, and distinguished himself by hii extraordi-
nary diligence and capacity. Even at this early period of his life, he was noted
for the composition of verses, which, if not of any high positive merit, were
at least thought to'display an uncommon degree of taste for so boyish a writer.
He thus recommended himself to the friendship of the professors, and at the
same time formed an- intimacy with Messrs Foulis, the eminent printers, whose
notice he is said to have first attracted by the eagerness with which he bade, at
one of their sales, for a copy of Marcus Antoninus. When he had finished the
usual course of languages and philosophy, and had taken the degree of master
of arts, he began the study of theology, with the Intention of becoming a
clergyman. He had attended nearly three sessions, when the design w«as laid
as!de> in consequence of his being appointed tutor to the late Lord Cathcart
ftnd his brother, then about to go to Eton. At fhe latter place he spent two
years, after which he accompanied his pupils^ with their father Lord Cathcart*
to St Petersburg, whither bis lordship was sent as ambassador extraordinary
and plenipotentiary. He remained in the Russian capital from 1768 till 1772,
during which timo he acted also as aecretary to Lord Cathcart. In the latter
year, he returned with hia only surviving pupil to the university of Olaagow,
and before the commencement of the ensuing sesrion, by the interest of Lord
Cathcart, who was Lord Rector of the college, was chosen to succeed professor
Muirhead in the chair of humanity, tho duties of which he performed without
any intermission till his death in 1814.

The remaining history of Mr Richardson la the history of his works. His
first publication was a small volume, entitled, ''Poems, chiefly rural,'' which
appeared in 1774; the next was his ''Philosophical Analyns and Dlustra.
tion of some of Shakspeare's Remarkable Characten^** which appeared early
in the succeeding year. The latter yolame, containing analyses of the cha-
racters of Macbeth, Hamlet, Jacques, and Imogen, was followed up, in 1784^
by a sequel, containing Essays on the characters of Richard HI., King Lear,
and Timon of Athens ; and some time after by a third yolnme, adrerting to
Sir John Falstaff, and containing various other critical speculations upon tho
writings of Shakspeare. Tho whole were united in one Tolume in 1797, and

ALEXANDER ROBERTSON. 177

have been frequently reprinted. The chief other works of profesfor Richard-
eon are — ^' Anecdotes of the Russian Empire ;" " The Indians, a Tragedy ;''
" The Maid of Lochlin, a lyrical Drama, with other Poems;" '' The Philan.
ihrope,*' a periodical essayist, which appeared in London in 1797. He also
contributed to Gilbert Stuart's Edinburgh Magazine and Review, and to the
Mirror and Lounger. He wrote the life of professor Arthur, prefixed to that
gentleman's works, and ** An Essay on Celtic Supentitions," appended to the
Rev. Dr Graham^s inquiry into the authenticity of the poems of Ossian. An
Essay on Figurative Language, and other works, were left at his death in
manusoript.

The genius of professor Richardson was more elegant than strong : he was
rather fitted to produce a tasteful dissertation or an ingenious inquiry, than a
work of nervous and original character. Hence his works are now put aside
in a great measure by those of succeeding writers. In hit professional charac-
ter he enjoyed a high degree of reputation, and, in private life, his character
was singularly amiable. He shone in conversation, at a time when conversa-
tion was more an art than it now is. From his earliest years to the period of
his death, he cherished the best principles of religion and morality.

After n short but severe illness, he died on the 3rd of November, 1814, in
the seventy-second year of his age.

ROBERTSON, Albzanobb, of Strowan, a distinguished Highland chief and
poet, was the second son of the preceding laird of Strowan, who bore the same
name, by Marion, daughter of general Baillie of Letham, and was bom about
the year 1670. He was educated, with th« design of his becoming a clergy-
man, under John Menses, regent in the university of St Andrews, who aided
the influence of hereditary associations in inspiring him with a zealous attach-
ment to the persons and principles of the Stuarts. His father died in 1688,
after having enjoined upon him, witli his latest breath, that he should never
forget the loyal example of his ancestors ; and as his elder brother only sur-
vived his father a few months, he fell into the family inheritance at a very early
age, immediately before the Revolution. When Dundee raised the clans in the
ensuing year, on behalf of the exiled king James, young Strowan joined him
with his men, but does not appear to have been present at the battle of Killi-
cranky. He was taken prisoner in September, and pot under honourable con-
finement at Perth ; but was soon after liberated, in exchange for the laird of
Pollock

Being now attainted and deprived of his estate^ be joined the court of the j ; |
expatriated monarrJi at St Germain''s^ where he 11 red for leverBl yean, chiefly j

supported by reniitlanoes from his friends in Sootland* He alio s<?rred one oi- ' |
two campaigns in the French army. In 1703, queen Anne having promised | I
him a remiuton of his attaindor and forfeiture^ iie retyrned to S<!otbnd ; and
though, from some uneie plained caufie, ihe reihiision never passed the seali^ he
does not appear to have found any difHcuUy in obtaining posseulon of his
^statea^ or any danger to hi« person in a residence within the leas of Britain,
Unwarned by the iniifortunes wUicli had flowed from ttis first military entar-
prise, he joined the earl of Mar in 1715^ with between four and five hundred
men, and took a very active part in the whole enterprise. He sei^d the ca*lle
of Weem, belonging to a Mbig gentleman, Menzies of Wcem ; was present at
the battle of Sherilfmuiri where he was taken prisoner, but rescued ; and with
great reluctance yielded to the order for ttie dispersion of his ckn, which was
issued to him, in common with the other chiefs, at the departure of the unf*^r-
tunate chevalier and his general tciiuLo from the country. Stronan ivas soon
si^er taken prisoner in ttie Highlands, lot making his eii^pe from a party fif

178 VILLIAH BOBBBTSON.

toldieri who were etooitiiig him to Edkiburgli cuCle, a^ln proeeedod to
Fianoe, to tpeod MoHier period vf poroly ani «xile. Ixmg ere thb tiow,
ha had gaioed tha aalaam af hb party hoCh at hone and abroad, by hit poatica]
afittSMOf, whwh were cUaHy af Che ehM of political pasqviia, and ako by hit
plaaaing and faoatioui mannanL Uanag raoeivad an axoeHent education, and
aaao mudi of the warid, ha azhibtti in hie writing! tio traaa of tha nideae«
a^ich pravaiiad in h« nativa knd. Ha Aows nothing of even that kind of
hamelinaM which than axitled n Lowland Scotland. Hit lai^;naga it ^ora
Engliah ; and hit ideaa, thoogh abundantly licao^oaa in aoaie iatUnoet, bear
a general resemblance to thote of the Drydeni, the Rotoommont, and tiie
Prion, of tha tonthem part of the itland. Ker of Ketaland, who taw him at
Rotleidam in 1716, tpaaht of hm ** at a aontidenfcle aan aa»ng the Higb-
laa<fteta, a man of aaaalleot tanaa, and avaty way a oampleta geotSenmn." Ha
lef to have ako bean held in great aalaam by badi Jaaiet II. and hit mnfoib
tunate ton, wham ha had earfwd in aaaaeiNon. By tha interoettlaai of hia tia-
ter miik the raigning aofoiwigB, ha wat penalttad to return home in 1796, and
in 1731, had hit attainder levatead. Tha ettatet had in the mean time baen
rettored to tha titler in lifMant, and to hit owa heirt male in fce, bwt paming
OTor himtaif. Ha, nafarthelaw, entered upon pot wio n; and hanoe, in 1745.
wat able, a third time, to lend hit territorial and hereditary i nfi oanoe Co the
aid of a StuaaL He nmt priaea Charlet on hie way through Petthriiire; md,
«n being ptatantad, aaid, ** Sir, I dara ta d my youth to tha aerrioa of your
grandfitther, and my maaliood ta dmt of yonr father ; and now I am come to
derota my old age la year rayal Mghneat." Chariet, wall acquainted with hit

I hittory^ folded tha old man in hit nraw, and wept Tha anciawt chief wat vn-

abla, on thit aacaiion, la take a pananal coMarn in tha mHarprita, and, at hit
dan waa lad by other gantlanmn, he atcaped the ta ng ea nc e of tha g af emment
He died m peaaa. at hit haota af CMe, in Bannoeb, April 16, 1749, in the
eighty4lrtt year of hit aga.

A volume af potiw, by Strawaa, wat tubaequendy paUithed aarreplitioady,
by flieant of a uanial tarfant, who had paitttted hiamelf of hit papam It oa»-
taint amny piaoea, diainelariaad by tha Uoantiaut larity which dien pr e r ail ad in
the diaenane of gentlemen, and only dwigned by their anther at another
icind of conveiaation with hia friandt. While he it ahargeabla, then, in eam-
mon wiUi hit oontamp a r a riet> with hairing gifon axprettaon to impare ideat, ha
8tandt dear of the fault of luiring diiteiainated them by meant of the preiL

B0EERT90N, Wuutii, the Mtlorian of Seatfauid and Charlea V., wat
bom in tha amnaa of die pnrith af BarthwidK, Mid Lothian, in the year
1 7Sl. Hit fiither, abo aaawd William, waa at 6rrt minittar of that parith, and
finally of the Odd Gray Frian* duirdi, Edittbui|rli ; ^'^ mother wat £leaaar
Piteaine, daughter of Oarid Piieairaa, Ehq. of Drtghom. By hit lalher, ha
wat dateended htm Uie KobaHaana of Gladnay, in the oewity of Fife, a brandi

i of the andant houae of Strowan. Or Robartton l a eoi ae d the fti^ mdioaenfti of

lut education at the tdiool af Ihdkeilfa, under the tuition of Mr Letiia, Aon a
cakbcated teacher. In 17S3, he remOTod with hit fethar't femily to Edin-
burgh, and, towardt the end of that year, canmmnoed hit courae of acadearieal
ttudy. From Uiit period tiU 1769, whan he pnblahad hie Seottiih Hitlary,
there occurred nothing beyond the natnral program af aTantt ki IIm Bie of a
young amn devated to tha Scottish church at a profetsMM. Durii^ thk long
space of time, he wat tilontly pnnuing hit tludiet, and l aba nring in iwtifamont
and obaearity on that work, which wat afterwardt to bring both feme and fer>
tune to hii humbk door. Yet, thongii he thut permitted to krge a portion of
hk life to patt without making any dfbrt to dktinguish himtelf, it wat not bo*

inUIAlf BOBERTSO^.

179

eanm 1m «m nol 4mt9mm of «■ hoaoHaU^ dittinctioA sneiifrt men ; but be-
eauM hm htd winiy 4eteniiiM4 to do •omtiMBg worthy of a lafting^ reputation,
aaA la do it deUberatoiy, t» Mcave, ia aheit, a ftrm feetiag, before ho etretehed
out hia ha»d to loiaa tko golden fcaii o# popi^r applaae. lliat he wae early
uabiiad mdk litanry anbitton, afi4 that of the aieet avdeat kind, ii, notarhb.
iftaMUng tho lomg obeourity to whiah he una ooafeat to nbmii, sulReieatly evi-
dent firoBi tho Biotto which he wm ia tho liabit of prefixing; to hit oomnon-
jj^laco boaka^ wbtio only in tho i a y i tuo a t h or fifteenth year of his age. The
motto wae, Fitm tme lii^rit man esi; a eeatinent nhich adhered to him
through life.

Harnig eocapietad hia stadiea at ^ aiii>vereityy ho wae Itoemed to preach by
thftpnal^tery of Ddkekh ia 1741, aad ia 1743 bo ww presented to tho lir-
ing of CUadsDittir, in East Lothian, by tho eari of Mopotoun. This ap-
pointMoat, cane opportunely; f<ir loon after bo obtained it, his father
and motiior died within a hm hfmn of each oiboTy loaring' a family of six
dangbters and a younger btollMr, almost wholly dependeni upon him for sup-
port With that generosity of dnsposkion and wanntb of aAction, which are not do-
tflffiod by personal eonsideiatSona from disdiaiging' an imperatire doty, he instant-
ly iarited hia father's Aunily to his humhlo residenoo at Gladsmnir, where, wc
are ca e ds h ly nsfermod, his p ro f es sio nal inconio hardly e ac eo d n d £60 a>year. Nor
did hia banavoleneo stop hem. Ho un d e t t oc^ tho edncatton of his sisters ,
and on their aoeaunt delayed a matrimonial union which ho had long desired,
bat which ho did not carry into eflbet until ho saw diem all respectably settled
in ikm world. This aooomplished, ho, in 1751, married his cousin. Miss Mary
Nisbety daughter of the reverend Mr Nisbet, one of the ministers of Edinbofg:h.
Pnv&ottsly to tUa, a remarkable instance of the enthusiasm of his disposition,
aad of tho warmth of his patriotic feelings, occurred. When the capital of Scot^
land waa threatened by tho Highland army in 1745, Dr Robertson hastened
into the city, and joined tho ranks of tho volunteers, who had been called up
for its defence ; and, when it was resolved to surrender the town witliout re-
sislaace, ho waa ono of a small band who proceeded to Haddington, where
gnneral Cope then ky, and made ofler of their services to that commander.
Tho general, f^ntunat^y fbr Dr Robertson and his party^ declined to admit
them into his disciplined ranks, alleging that their want of that essential quali-
ficatiott might throw his men Into disorder; and they thus escaped the dangei's
and disgrace which afterwards befUl his army at Prestonpans. This rebuff ter-
minated the historian's ezperfenco of military life. He returned to the discharge
of the sacred duties of his caHrng, and to the peaceful enjoyment of his literary
ponuits. In his parish he was exceedingly beloved. The amenity of his man^
ners, tho purity aad uprightness of his conduct, had secured him the esteem
and veneration of all ; while the eloquence and elegant taste which he displayed
in hia sermons, procured him a high degree of respect from the neighbouring
clergy. These qualifications as a preacher, he had been nt much pains to ac-
quire, and he had early aimed at introducing a more refined taste, and a more
porsaasive eloquence, into pulpit oratory, than vrere then generally to be found.
With this view ho had, during the last two or three years of his attendance at
coUego, mnintatned a connexion with a society, whose objects were to cultivate
tho arte of elocution, and to acquire the habit of extemporary debate. Dr
Robertson himself had the principal slmre in forming this society, and he was
fortunate in the selection of its members, tho greater part of them having after-
wards arrived at distinction in tba difieront walka of life which thoy pursued.

Tho first of Dr Robortson^t publications was a sermon which ho preadied in
the year 1755, before the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge.

180

WILLIAM ROBERTSON.

Thif sermon po woMoi a tingolar degree of merity And ezbibiti all41io felicitiee
of compoeition and etrengtb of reaeontng, for which hie after productions are eo
remarkable. That he himself had a fttTonrable opinion of this sermon, appears
from a letter written by him to his son-in-law, Mr John RnsseU, on Jane 16> 1788^
along with which he had sent him, << as a monnmeni of his friendship and attach-
ment," a very handsomely bonnd copy of his works, as ^ I wbh you to pos se si
them in their most perfect form, as I parpoee they should be transmitted to
posterity ;" and he adds, " my solitary sermon, naked as it came into the world,
accompanies its well-drest brothen, but though the least of my worki^ I would
not have yon esteem it the last in merit."

A few years afterwards, he made his appearance in the debates of the General
Assembly, where his eloquence acquired for him the ascendancy which he long
maiataiaed as a leader in the church courts. It is remarkable that one of the
first uses he made of his inAuence in the General Assembly, was to defend his
co-presbyter Home from the censures of the church, for his having written the
tragedy of Douglas. l>r Robertson could, indeed, scarcely haye done les^, after
having himself taken part in the rehearsal of the piece, in common with Blair
and Carlyle, as has already been narrated in our memoir of Home. He exerted
Limself warmly in behalf of his peccant brother ; and it is allowed that his
arguments and eloquence had a great effect in softening the Tengeance of the
General Assembly. As the play-going portion of the publio sympathised but
little in the feelings of the clergy on this subject, and felt beaides a strong pre-
judice in f&Tour of Mr Home, these efforts of l>r Robertson were exceedingly
grateful to that party, amongst whom his defence had the effect of acquiring
fbr him an extensiTo popularity.

In the mean time, his *' History of Scotland, during the Reigns of Mary and
James VI.," which, in the midst of all his other avocations, be had been noise-
lessly, but assiduously bringing forward, approached to a close, and he was
about to commit to the caprice of popular taste and opinion, the labours and the
hope of years. On the final completion of tluU work, he proceeded to London,
to make arrangements regarding its publication; and in February, 1759, it ap«
peared. The effect which it produced, was instantaneous and extraoidinary.
Letten of congratulation, of admiration, and of praise, poured in upon its
author from all quarters, and many of them firom the most eminent men of the
time, all outvying each other in the language of panegyric and compliment.
Nor was it praise alone that attended his literary success ; the work cleared to
iU author no less a sum than je600 ; preferment abo immediately folloiied,
and changed at once tlie whole complexion of his fortunes. While his woric
was going through the press, he had receired a presentation to one of the
churclies of Edinburgh, to which he removed with his family ; and in the same
year in which tlie work was published, he was appointed chapkiin of Stirling
castle ; in two years afterwards, he was nominated one of his majesty's chaplains
in ordinary for Scotland ; in the following year, he was elected principal of
the unirersity of Edinburgh ; and in two yean more, appointed by the king,
as historiographer for Scotland, with a salary of two hundred pounds a-year.
From being an obscure country clergyman, he was now become one of the moat
conspicuous men in the kingdom. His society and correspondence wera courted
by the noble and the wealthy, and his self lore was flattered by encomiums and
oulogiums firom the dignified and learned.^

> His friend, Dr Carlyle, thus HircatUcally remarks the rush of honoure with which his
merits were rewarded, In a letter to tlie reverend Thomas Hepburn, (author of a curious and
clever jeu d etprii, entitled «« Mago-Pioo,") dated MiuMlburgh, Sep. 6, 1763 :—•< Robertson
has managed with great addresa He is prmcipal, chaplain, minister, historiographer, and his-

WILLIAM ROBERTSON 181

Some of his advisers, iu the uramith of their zeal, thinking that the Scottish
church ivas too limited a field for a man of his talents, proposed to him to seek
in the English church for rewards hefitting his high merits. Into this proposal,
howerer, Dr Robertson did not enter, but continued to abide by both the
country and the religion of his fathers ; a line of conduct consistent with the
purity and dignity of his character.

The success of his ** History of Scotland," now urged him on to further ef-
forts, and he lost no time in looking out for another subject to work upon.
After some deliberation, and carefully weighing the merits of several, he at
length fixed upon a *' History of the Reign of Charles Y." This work, which
appeared in 1769, in three volumes quarto, still further increased the reputa*
tton of its author,' and was received with equally flattering marks of approbation
OS his Scottish history. Hume, his contempomry and intimate friend, and who,
superior to the low jealousy which would have seized upon a mean mind, on
witnessing the success of a rival historian, had ahvays been amongst the first to
come forward and acknowledge his merits, thus speaks of the work, as it passed
through his hands in sheets direct from the printing office : **They even excel,
and 1 think in a sensible degree, your History of Scotland. I propose to my-
self great pleasure, in being the only man in England, during some months, who
will be in the situation of doing you justice ; after which, you may certa|nly
expect that my Foioe will be drowned in that of the public." Mr Hume was not
mistaken in this anticipation. Congratulatory and complimentary letters again
flowed in upon the historian from all quarters, and his fame not only spread
rapidly wherever the language in which he wrote was understood, but by a
felicitous translation of his Charles V., by M. Suard^ he became equally well
known throughout all France.

Previously to his undertaking the Life of ^Charles V., Dr Robertson had been
urgently entreated by his friends, and had even the wishes of the monarch con-
veyed to him on the subject, to undertake a history of England. This, though
promised the support of government while he should be engaged in the work,
he declined, from motives of delicacy towards his friend Mr Hume, who was al-
ready employed on a history of that kingdom. He was afterwards, however,
prevailed upon to entertain the idea, from the consideration that his work would
not appear for many years after Mr Hume's, and that it would necessarily be
so difterent as to have an entirely separate and distinct claim on public farour,
without any encroachment on the portion due to the merits of Mr Hume. The
work, however, mm never undertaken, nor is it now known what were the
causes which prerented it. His biographer, Mr Dugald Stewart, conjectures
that the resignation of lord Bute, who had always been a warm and steady

torian ; that is to say, he has £50 a-year, and a houss certain, besides what he can make by
his books. It was taken for granted that he was to resign his charge, on being appointed
historiographer with £200 salary ; but that he will do atliis leisure. It is also supposed by
his patrons, that he is to write the history of Britain In ten volumes qoarlo. This also, i
presume (dreadful task I) he will execute at his leisure.

'< Honest David Home [Hume], with the heart of all others that rejoices most at the pros-
perity of his friends, was certainly a little hun with this last honour conferred on Robertson.
A lucky accident has ffiven him reiiell The eari of Hertford Is appointed amlnssador to
France; not very capable himself, the^ have loaded him with an insignificsnt secrehiry, one
Charles Bunbury, who, for the sake of pleasurei more than the thousand a-year, solicited for
the office. Hertford knew David, and some good genius prompted to ask him to go along
and manage the business. It is an honourable character — he will see his friends in France ;
if he tires he can return when he pleases. Banbury will probably tire first, and then David
will become secretary ["^-Thori)e't Catalogue of Autographs, 18Sa

* In consequence of the great success of his History of Scotland), Dr Robertson received for
Charles Y. from the booksellers, no less than £4^500, theit supposed to be the largest sum
ever paid for the copyright of a single book.

183

HFILLIAM BOBfiBISON.

friAnd of Ur BobertMn, nigbl bav^ amiribiitod to alter kk view with MgBrd
U tb« ivritiag a hittory of Esf Uod ; but h« Msknowledget Im iaability l» dia-
Qovar any Mrtam or potiiive raaioa fiur the intemij^oa of ilt exeaitiiiik

Eifht yaan after the publicaUon of Gharlea V., (1777^ I^ Robertfon pto-
duoe4 the UJatory of Anerica, a work vrhieh Ihliy mainlained tlM aadMr'e lugh
reputation, and procured him a repetition of all thoM gratifying aiarki of both
p«U)lic and private approbatioo whidi had attended hie IbfOKr weck% One of
theie wae his electioa ae an hooorary meaber by ^ Boyal Academy of Hie*
fcory in l^Iadrid. Thia learned body ai tho Huae tuub oppoioted one of its
wfinihere to tiaaeiate the work ioto Spaaiab^ and a oeuiderable p e og tea a wat
made in tho tranalatioft, wbeo the jealeuay of the Spoaiik gorenuoeiit iator-
fered to prevent it Irooi preoeedhig aoy further.

The reputation of Dr BobertaoB^ however, did not reek alewo opoo hit
writinge. Hie powerful and peveiiaiive ek>qneBce had gained him ao inAooBce
in tho General Aoaendily, which iotiawtely and coofpiaMoaly aoeociated hie
name with the occUaiattical afiaim of Iho kiagdom. Ho introdned aod oe-
tabliahed a syaien of eubordination tfaroughottl tiie varkMH gradatieais of ee-
claaiaoticai judicatories which had not been betee ozertod, and Iho wegleci of
which had givoo riie to many uobeeomiog aeaoea in the aottliBg' of miaialen ;
■ceiiet deemed ai onoe highly derogatory fee Iho digoaty of the mpremo coort,
aad' 8id>voratvo of all oador in tlio church geeonuMDi of the kingdom.

Of hia do^ueooe, a part of hie faaao, ae liie biographer reamrlca, whieh mart
BOOB rcet OB tmdition only, Ihe Jaiter Uiue apealm : ** I ehaU not bo acctwed of
oxaggentioo, wImb I aay, that, in ooaie of the nmal eomntial qoahfieatioaa of a
tpeaker, he iiae eotitled to rank with the lirei saniee which Imvo in our tioMa
adorned the British senate." This is high praise; but vheo k ie reooUoded
who ho is that beatewa it, there ia little roaaeo to doubt its justice.

In hk preface to hk History of Amerka, Dr Robertson had uiesitioped hk
iote o tion of resuming the subject ; and it k Isnown that, but for ttm coloadal
war, which \\mm bow raging, lie weuld have cea ame nced a history of tfm
British empiso in that continent. Having aiumdoned thk deaign, he looked
out §wt some ether aabjeet worthy of his pen. Mr Gibbon recomawndod to
hnB a fatalory of the Pvoteafeanta ia Frasico, a subject which hat stwee been 'A-
luatcated by Dr M*Crto, and aeveral other persona siiggaatcd the History vi
Great Britain, from the Revohttion to tho AceosaioB of tho HoBse of Hanoeer.
It appeara Arom a fetter to Dk Waddilemr, deao of Ripposi, dated July, 1778,
that he had n«de up his nund to enoounter tho re sp oBs s bilitiee of aoch a task :
biit he Tcry early abandoned k, in umsequence of a cerrespondence with Me
fricBd, Mr Jamea Macpherson, who, threo yeaia befiwe, had pobliahed a history
of the same reigns, and ithose feelings, he found, must be severely injured by
hk attempting a rfral work. As ho was now approaching hk sixtieth year, it
k probable that he was by no means eager to conmience a new subject of
study. His eireumataaces, too, were indepcBdent ; ho had ac^iicd firnso 9m§'
ficient to gratify his most ambitious hopes : and thut \i-eve remove d two of tho
greatest incentives to literary exertion. Bk constitution, besidea, was con«d-
erably impaired by a long, sedentary, and studious life ; and ho probably cob-
oerved that, after beving devoted so large a portion of his existence to tho
instruction and entertainment of othera, he had a right to appropriate what re*
amined to himaelt

In the year 1780, he rethred from the bnsinem of the ecclesnotical court,
of which he had been* so long an ornament, but still coutinued to dis-
charge the doties of his pastoral office, and that vnih a diligence, always exem-
plary, which increased rather than diminished with his growing infirmities.

WILLIAM KOB£&T9QN. 183

As Ung as his beaUh pemtOed, Ihe preMiidd everj Swicbf,aiid coBtbned to do
m> oceasiozu^y iUl within a few montlwof lus death. In regard to his etyle of
preaching, bis nephew. Lord Bronghao^ in his Life of the Prineipa], eoatntned
ia hU "Lives of Men of Letters and Science who flonrishad in the time of
George III^" gives a very interesting aeaoont of it from his own pefaonal know-
ledge; aad in particular of n seraon whi<di he heard Dr Robertson preaeh on
November 5, 1788, the celebration of the oeotenary of the Rove&Btioii.

Kotwithstandiag his rcsoUUion to write no moM to the pnUie, the Pria^pol
was aeddentalljr led to the oompesitioa of another work, la perming major Ken-
nel's "Msmoiis of a Ma^ of Hiadeataa,*' he bcigan to inqnire into the know-
ledge which the ancients had of that coantrj, aololy lor has own amotement
and hifofBiation. His idaas» as he himself remadu^ ^radaaily extended, and
became more interestiog, till he at kogth imagaed that the resnk of his le-
seardies might prove am min g and insurttCtiTe to oUmts. In this way he was
led to publish his ** Historical Disquiution eonoeniing the Knoirledge winch
the Aacienta had of India, and the program of Trade with that Oenntry, prior
to the Discovery of the Gape of Oood Hope,*' wfakh aK>«ared in 17^1 in
qoarto. Ho bad in the meanwhile eajeyed several years of good health sad
honoured Icumn^ dividing the time wjuoh he coold spare from his cWrieal
dnties between the amnsemeat oi rendiug and the e^foyment of the seciety of
Lis friends. Tawncdiately, however, on the termination of the above self-im-
posed labour. Lis health became materially affected. Strong symptoms of jann-
dioe showed themselves, and laid tiM Ibonda t io n of a liageriag and fatal illness.
At an early stage of this disease^ he was impressed with the belief that bis death
was not far distant ; bnt, like his gwat conteai^ionvy fiasse, be contemplated its
approach* not only without tenroi^ bnt wth cheerftilaem and eomplaeency. in
the latter port of his illness he was removed to Grange Hoase, in the neighbesir-
bood of £dinbnrgh, in the vain hope that be mighi be boneikted by tbe free
air of the country. He was still, however, able to ODJoy the beaoties of tbe
rural scenery around him, and that with all the relish of bis better di^r** £arly
in June, 1793, his increasing weakness confined him to his coach; his articu-
lation begun to fiul, and on the llth he died, in the aeventy^first year of his
age.

Br Robertson's talents were not precocious. Thooarly part of his career was
wholly undiitingmshed by any remarkable pre-emineace over his contemporaiiea;
but his mind, though silently and anobtruaively, was yet gradually advaaeiag
towards that high inteHectaal station in winch it first attracted the attention of tbe
worid. He did not, with thai ilVjodged precipitattcy by which authors have tiUtt
seriously sufEered in their repntationand fortones^eomeuafied^d before the world.
As already remarked, he wisely refieamed from stepping into the arena of literary
competition until be was cempletdy aooonlred for the oantest, and tlie success
he met with was one result of this prudence and forethought.

The friendship which scibsisted between Dr Robertson and Mr Home is, per-
haps, next to the genius of these great aaeo, the cirenmstance connected with
them most deserving of our admiration. Though both struggling Comud ia
the same path of historical composi t ion, there were not only no mean jealousies
in the race, but each might be seen in turn helping forward the other, and a
more interestiag sight than this cannot readily be conceived. The letters of
Mr Hume to Dr Robertson are fall of amiablo feeUag, and of that Mght,
cheerful raillery, in which the historian of England bo much delighted to in-
dulge, and which contrasted so pLeasiagly with the gravity and dignUy of his
writings. "Next week,** he Bay8> in one of these letters, "I am published,
and then I expeot a constant comparison will be made between Dr Robertson

184

DR. JOHN ROBISON.

and Mr Home. I shall tell you in a few weeka whioh of theie heroes is likely
to prevail. Meanwhile^ I can inform both of them for their comforts, that their
combat is not likely to make half so muoh noise as that between Bronghton and
the one-eyed coachman."

Dr Robertson in person was rather above the middle sice> with an apparently
ordinary degree of physical strength. His eye was intelligent, and his features
regular and manly. '<He appeared," says his biographer, *'to greatest ad-
vantage in his complete clerical dress, and was more remarkable for gravily and
dignity in discharging the fonctiona of his public stations^ than for ease or
grace in private society." His moral character was unimpeachable. His manners
were mild and conciliating, and all his dispositions amiable. " He was," says
Dr Erskine, '* temperate, without austerity ; condescending and af&ble, without
meanness ; and in expense, neither sordid nor prodigal. He could feel an injury,
yet bridle his passion; was grave, not sullen j steady, not obstinate; friendly, not
officious ; prudent and cautious, not timid."

He left behind him three sons and two daughters. The eldest son adopted
the profession of the law, and passed through its highest honours. His two
younger sons entered the army. His elder daughter was married to Mr Brydone,
author of the Tour in Sicily and Malta; the youngest, to John Russell, Esq.,
derk to the signet. His two younger sons rose to high rank in the army, and
the elder of the two especially distinguished himself in India onder Lord Com-
wallis.'

In the year 1781, Dr Robertson was elected one of the foreign members of
the Academy of Sciences at Padua, and, in 1783, one of the foreign members
of the Imperial Academy of Sciences at St Petersburg. The empress Catherine
was so much delighted with his worluf, that she presented him, through 1>t
Rogenon, with a handsome gold enamelled snuff-box, richly set with diamonds.
He was the founder of the Royal Sodety of Edinburgh, and exerted himself
with his usual aeal, not only in forming the plan of that institution, but in car-
rying it on after it was established.

ROBISON, (Db) Johh, an eminent mechanical philosopher, and professor of
natural phUosophy in the university of Edinburgh^ was the son of John Robison,
a merchant in Glasgow, and was bom there in the year 1739.* The first part
of his education he received at the grammar school of Glasgow, whence he en-
tered as a student of the university of Glasgow so early as the year 1750, and
took the degree of master of arts in 1766. What progress he made in his
early studies is not known, and in after Hfe he used to speak lightly of his
early proficiency, and accuse himself of want of application. In the year fol-
lowing his graduation, he made a proposal to be appointed assistant to Mr Dick,
professor of natural philosophy, in place of the son of that gentleman, who had
just died ; but was considered too young for the important duty. At that time
his friends had wished him to study for the church; but, preferring some duty
in which his mechanical pursuits might be indulged, he turned his eyes towards
London* Professor Dick and Dr Simson sent along with him recommendations
to Dr Blair, Prebendary of Westminster, who might have bad influence to
procure for him the situation of tutor In mathematics and navigation to the

> It may furthsr be mentioned, thftt Via nisoa^ Bliss Elesnor Bymt, the daughter of one
of his sisten, was the mother of one of the greatest men of the patting age. Lord Brougham,
who wrote the life of hit ancle abore alluded to; and that Mr Brydone't eldett daughter
having married the pretent Earl of Minto, their second daughter became the wife of Lord
John Ruttell, the eminent conttitutional ttatetman, whose name stands honourably
associated with all the great political reforms of the present day.

* Bfemoir by Profestor Playfair : Trana. Royal Society, Edinburgh, vii. 495.

DR. JOHN ROBISON. 186

duke of York, younger son of Frederidc, prinoe of Wales, whom there was then
some intention of educating for the nary. The plan was giren up, and Robison
received a severe disappointment, but the event served as his introduction to an
excellent friend, admiral Knowles, a gentleman whose son was to have at-
tended the duke on hia voyage. Young Mr Knowles' nautical education was
not to be given up ivith that of tlie duke, and his father perceiving Robison^s
knowledge of mechanical philosophy, employed him to take charge of the in-
stiiiction of his son while at sea. Mr Robison sailed from SpiUiead in 1759,
with the fleet, which assisted the land forces in the taking of Quebec. His
pupil was a midshipman in the admiral's ship, in which he was himself rated of
the same rank. Two years of such active service as followed this expedition
enabled Robison to make many observations, and collect a fund of practical
knowledge, while he was sometimes usefully employed in making surveys. On
his return on the third of August, he was a sufferer from the tea scurvy, which
had disabled the greater part of the crew. At this time Mr Robison seems to
have had a surfeit of a sailor's life, one which, however pleasing for a limited
time, as serving to exemplify his fiivourite studies, possessed perhaps few charms
as a profession, to a man of studious habits. He intended to resume the dis-
carded study of theology ; but an invitation from admiral Knowles to live with
him in the country, and assist in his experiments, prevailed. ** What these ex-
periments were," says Mr Robiton's biographer, " is not mentioned ; but they
probably related to ship-building, a subject which the admiral had studied with
great atte^ition.^ He had not been thus situated many months, when his young
friend and pupil lieutenant Knowles, was appointed to the command of the
Peregrine sloop of war of 20 guns, and probably from a passion for the sea
recurring after recovery from his disorder, and a residence in the country,
Robison accompanied him. At this period his ambition seems to have been
limited to the situation of purser to his friend's vesseL On his return from a
voyage, during which he visited Lisbon before the traces of the great earth-
quake had been effaced, he again took up his residence with admiral Knowles.
By his patron he was soon afterwards recommended to lord Anson, then first
lord of the admiralty, who conceived him a fit person to take charge of the
chronometer constructed, after many years of patient labour, by'^Mr Harrison,
on a trial voyage to the West Indies, in which its accuracy ivas to be tried, at
the suggestion of the Board of Longitude. On the return, which was hastened
by the dread of a Spanish invasion of St Domingo, Mr Robison suffered all the
hardships of the most adventurous voyage, from the rudder being broken in a
gale of wind to the ship's catching fire, uid being with difiiculty extinguished*
The result of the observation was satisfactory, the whole error from first setting
sail, on a comparison with observations at Portsmouth, being only 1^ 53^^, a
difierenoe which would produce very little effect in calculations of longitude for
ordinary practical purposes. For the reivard of his services Mr Robison had
ronde no stipulation, trusting to the consideration of government ; but he was
disappointed. Lord Anson was in his last illness, admiral Knowles was disgusted
with the admiralty and the ministry, and the personal applications unaided by
interest which he was obliged to make," were met with a cold silence which ir-
ritated his mind. It appears that at thu period the reward he sought was the
comparatively humble appointment of purser to a ship. In 1763, sucli a situa-
tion was ofiered to him by lord Sandwich, then first lord of the admiralty, in a
vessel of 40 guns, which it is probable that a dawning of brighter prospects
prompted him, certainly not to the regret of his admirers, to decline. Not-
withstanding hjs having been conneeted with a branch of society not generally
esteemed propitious to clerical pursuits, he is said to have itiil felt a lingering

'

186

DR. JOHN BOBISOK.

regaid for tlM church, and to htiw adWiW to Ms fritadi in the JHiry, mUj
from the hotter chance of odfanoeinenl^ heeauae, m hia bit^gvapher with nofiiea-
tionable truth obaerTea, '* it lay BMMe in the way of the Board of I^omitiida to
help one to promotion in the navy than in the church.*^ He letutaed U G]aa-
gow, and renewing an aofuawtaace long ainee cnn—infed with Ihr Black,
eateiwd with ardowr on the new riena in ciiemiatry oenneoted with the «zial>
enoe of latent heat, whidi hii eminent /riend waa begtnninf lo difulge to the
world. He at the aame time conMienoed an intiamcy with Mr Wall, aad wai
ao far acquainted with his proeeedin|By aa to be able to ceitify the jwtioe of ha
chdm to theae vast i m yiof omenta in the steam engine, which aaingular accidewt
had been the means of suggesting to hia genius. At the reconamndatian ai
Dr Black, Robison waa appointed his saeeemer in the chemical chahr of Glasgow^
which, in 1 766, he had ralinqiiiahed te that of Edinburgh. AAer i
(war yean in this situation , oae of a aoTol and

Itself for his acoeptaaos. The emprem ai Biwsia had made a ffsqatat to
ihe gOTemment of Britain, for the aer?ioe of aome able and ea^erieBMed nawd
oOoen to auperintend the refor—iiea of her mariaat With BMae liheiality
than geneially characteriaea the intereeuiM of aatioaa, the request waa agiwed
to, and Mr Bobiaen^s tried friend, admiral Knawles, waa appointed paeaideiBt el
the Rnsaian Board of Admfaralty. It had been his intention to lemmmend
Robison for the ailuation of official aecretary to the Board, but finding auch an
eAce iaoompatible with the oenstitutioo of the Rumian Board, he oontrifed to
engage his setnoM to the public, in the capacity of his private aecretary, and
in the end of December, 1770, both preoeeded over land to 8t Peteishv^h.
For a year after his arrival, he assisted the admiral in forcing on the attentiosi
of the Russians snah improvements in ship4Niilding, rigging, and navigatioB,
as their prejodicaa would allow them to be taught by Aweignera, backed by the
influence of government Meanwhile he had aeduWusly studied the Busrian
language, and in the aummer of 1779, the reputation of hia aceomplishmenta
induced the eAer of the vacaat auuhematical chair attaofaed io the Sea aadet
eorpa of nobles at Cronstadt On hia acceptance of the appeiatasenty hk pae-
decemor's salary was doubled, and he was raised to the rank of oolonel, an ele-
vation to which he eeuld not step with prc^per Russian giaee, without piodnciag
euch documents as bore the appeacanre of evidence to the nobility of his bbth.
Beaidea his diitiee as amthematical pr ofe sso r , he acted m the room of general
Politika, who had retired, as inspector-general of the corps ; a duty in which
he had to ixmfmt the oondaet and laheun of abe«t Ibtty teachenL Ha did neC
long remain in this situation.

In 177S, from the death of Dr Rassel» a faoaaoy ooQUffied in tke aataaal
philosophy chair of Edinbui^h, which the patrons, at the iiMtigation of principal
Robertson, invited Mr Robison to fill. On hearing of this invitation, fraapecta
of a atili nMure brilliant nature were held out to him by the eaiptam : he hem-
tated for some time, but, being apart from sudi society ae even the amee enlight*
ened porta of Ramm afTofdod, he finally piefetvad the lorn brilliant, but more
pleasing offer firem his natim country, and in Jane, 1777, he set sail from Cion-
stadt to Leiih. The empress, on his departure, r eq ues t ed that he wouM under-
take the cava of two or three of the cadets, who weve to be elected in aueosasien,
and promised him a pension of 400 iwUse or £B0 apyear. The pemlen was paid
/or three yeaas, and is supposed to hare been discontinued becawe Rebieen had
net communicated to the Rumian goremwnt the pnogasssive in^roiemenla in
British marine education. In the winter o£ 1774, he rnmaienrdd hia ledmea
in Edinbui^. " The scienom of mechanics, '' mys his bis«rafher, '< hydro-
dynamics, astronomy, and optics, together with electricity and magnetism, were

DB. JOHN R0BI90N.

187

the aiibjecto which hia leetjres embraced. Then were giren ivith great fluency
and piecinon ef language^ and with tlie introdiiction of a good deal of math^
maiiad demomtralion. Hk nontner wai gra^e and dignined. His Tiews^ al-
waya iagenHNn and comprahenriTe, \xen full of information, and never more
interealiag and imtractiTe than when they touched upon the history of science.
His lecturasy baweTer^ were often complained of as difficult and hard to be fol-
lowed ; and this did not, in my opfnicniy arise from the depth of the mathemati*
cal demomtratiooSy as was ionetimes said, bat rather from the rapidity of his
disooone, which was generally beyond the rate at whidi accurate reasoning
can be eaafly fidloired. The singular facility of his own apprehension, made
him judge too firroarably of the same power in others. To understand his
lectunt complelelj, was, on aeooant of the rapidity and the uniform flow of
his diacomnse, net a very easy task^ even for men tolerably familiar with the
subject On this account, his lectures were less popular than might have been
expected ftom nch a oembination of nxe telents as the author of them possess-
ed.^ Mr Bobiaon had exerted Kinnelf with seal in the revival of that associa-
tion of phikisephei*, which merged itself into the Royal Society of Edinburgh ;
and on ila being incorporaled by royal dmrter in 17 83^ he was appointed secre-
tary ; an office in which he eignafised himself, by attention td the interests of
liie society. In Mardi, 1786, he read to the society a paper, entitled ** Deter^
roinatten of llie Oibit and Motion of the Georgiom Sidus, directly from Obser*
vationa.** In tfaia paper^ he it generally understood by sctentiflc men to have
with aesne haste drawn oonchisions for which the limited time during which
Henchd^s newly discovered planet had been observed by philosophers, did not
aflbsd data. His next paper to dw society, ''On the Motion of Light, as af-
fected by Refncting and Reflecting Sebstanoet, which are themselves in Mo-
ticmy'' was of mete utility to scienoe. In December, 1785, he began to be atr
tacked by a diionic disease, which gradually nndermtned his health, but did
not for some tine intenn^ hie oidinary labours. Twelve Tolumes of the third
and mudi enlaiged edition of the Encyclopiedia Britannica had been published,
when the editor turned hie eyes en Mr Robison, as a person likely to give it lustre
from hie sciantifie knewledge. He comnsenced his contributions with the article
*' Optics,^' In 1793, and eontributed a Tariety of usefid treatises, till the com-
pletion of the week in 1801. Hie biographer leniarks, that '* he was the first
contributor who was profcssedly a man of scienoe ; and from that time the En-
cydopsBdia Bdtannica ceased to be a mera compilaSion.'' The observation must
be received with, limitatiosis in both its brandies. To the Supplement, he con-
tributed the articlea '' Electricity ^ and ** Magnetism.** At the period while he
was acquiring lame by his phydcal leseatdies, he dK>ie to stretch his studies
into a branch of knowledge, wUch he handled with eearoely so much effect
Along with many people, among whom a philosopher is aUnys to be found
with regret, a panic that the whole '* system,** as it was termed, of society, was
in progress of demolition by the French rerolution, seized on his mind. He
strayed from more aeeordant sd>jects, to look for the causes of all the confusion,
and had the merit ef attracting some of tlie maddened attentioi^f the period,
by finding an uaArodden path, which led him farther from the highway than
any other speculator had ventured. In 1797, he published '' Proofs of a Con-
spimcy agafaMt all the Religions and Governments ef Europe." This work is
now forgotten ; and it will serw for little more than amusement to know, that the
crimes, ae evidently peenqpted by fbrdbly carrying the usages and exclusiona
of a dark age, when the people respected them, into an age when they were
not respected, were traced to the machinations of the illuminati and free masons.
Professor Robison had the merit of quoting authorities not much read, and in the

188 BR. JOHN ROBISOK.

inflaroed feelingt of the period, the secrocy of the souroet, instead of pronng a
prima facie objection to the probability that a ti«ue of open national outragee,
prompted by pavion, and unguided by pre<arranged motire, could be the con-
sequence of what \\M so carefully concealed, or rather orerlooked, served to in-
flame the spirit of mystery, whidi other branches of literature were then foster-
ing ; and the book was rapidly sold to the extent of four editions, and was
^eedily read. In an age which has acquired the power of influencing masses
of men by public opinions, secret tenets or intentions do not acquire numerous
followers. That there were some grounds in opinion, and even in intention
for many of the statements of Mr Robison, may be granted ; but a few German
enthusiasts, pleased ^vith mysticism, were the only conspirators, and the appall-
ing statements in the works which he used as authorities, were from men
still more given to credulity, than the persons of whom they spoke were to
mystery.

In 1799, professor Robison was employed in the difficult task of preparing
for the press the manuscript lectures and notes of Dr Black, who had just died.
'' Dr Black,** says Robison's biographer, ** had used to read his lectures from
notes, and these often but rery imperfect, and ranged in order by marks and
signs only kno^vn to himself. The task of editing them was, therefore, difli-
cult, and required a great deal both of time and labour ; but was at last accom-
plished in a manner to give great satisfaction.'* Meanwhile, however, the dis-
coreries of Dr Black had produced many alterations in diemistry, and the
science had assumed a new aspect. Among other things, the new nomenclature
of Laroisier, had been almost universally receired, and rendered any work
which did not adopt it, antiquated, and comparatively useless. It was supposed
that Robison, with some labour, but without any injustice to the labours of his
friend, might have adopted it ; but he preferred the system in the original : a
choice attributed by some to respect for the memory of his friend, and by
others to prejudice. He sent a copy of his publication to the emperor of
Russia, and received in return a box set in diamonds, and a letter of Uianks.

Professor Robison had long intended to digest his researdies into a work, to
be entitled " Elements of Mechanical Philosophy, being the Substance of a
Course of Lectures on that science." The first volume of this work, containing
Dynamics and Astronomy, lie published in 1804 ; but he did not live to com-
plete it. In the end of January, 1805, he yielded to the lingering disorder,
which had long oppressed his body, before it enervated his mind. His bio-
grapher gives the following account of his character. ** He possessed many
accomplishments rarely to be met with in a scholar, or a man of science. He
had great skill and taste in music, and was a perf<Nrnier on several instruments.
He was an excellent draughtsman, and could make his pencil a valuable instru-
ment, either of record or invention. When a young man, he was gay, con«
vivial, and facetious, and his vers de eocieti flowed, I have been told, easily
and with great effect His appearance and manner were in a high degree
favourable and imposing : his figure handsome, and his face expressive of ta-
lent, thought, gentleness, and good temper. When I had first the pleasure to
become acquainted with him, the youthful turn of his countenance and manners
wns beginning to give place to the grave and serious cast, which he early as-
sumed ; and certainly I have never met with any one whose appearance and
conversation were more impressive than his were at that period. Indeed, his
powers of conversation were very extraordinary, and, when exerted, never failed
of producing a great eflect. An extensive and accurate information of parti-
cular facts, and a facility of combining them into general and original views,
were united in a degree, of which I am persuaded there have been few exam-

ROBERT ROLLOCE. 189

pies. AocordiDgly, he would go orer the mott difficult subjects, and bring out
the most profound remarks, with an ease and readiness which was quite singu-
lar. The depth of his observations seemed to cost him nothing : and when he
said any thing particularly striking, you never could discover any appearance
of the self-satisfaction so common on such occasions. He was disposed to pass
quite readily Trom one subject to another ; the transition was a matter of
course, and he had perfectly, and apparently \vithout seeking after it, that
light and easy turn of conversation, even on scientific and profound subjects, in
which we of this island are charged by our neighboun with being so extremely
deficient. The same facility, and the same general tone, were to be seen in his
lectures and his writings. He composed with singular facility and correctness,
but was sometimes, when he had leisure to be so, very fastidious about his owa
compositions. In the intercourse of his life, he was benevolent, disinterested,
and friendly, and of sincere and^unaffected piety. In his interpretation of the
conduct of others, he was fair and liberal, while his mind retained its natural
tone, and had not yielded to the alarms of the French Revolution, and to the
bias which it produced.''

Mr Robison's various works, printed and unprinted, were, after his death,
put into the hands of professor Play&ir ; but that gentleman finding that he
could not devote his time sufficiently to them, they were afterwards published,
with notes, by Dr Breivster, in four volumes octavo, 1823. This work consists
of some manuscript papers on Projectiles and Corpuscular Action, and the
papers which the author prepared for the Encyclopaedia Britannica, abridged of
some of their digressions*

ROLLOCK, RoBBaT, an early and oealous promoter of Scottish literature,
was bom in the year 155& He was nearly related through his mother to the
noble family of Livingston. Discovering an*early aptitude for letters, he was
sent by his father, Mr David RoUock, to the grammar school of Stirling, at that
time taught by Mr Thomas Buchanan, nephew to the author of the History of
ScotlaniL Under the care of this teacher he continued till he was fit for en-
tering the university, when he was sent to the college of St Salvador, St
Andrews. By his docility, modesty, and sweetness of disposition, young Bol-
lock had already engaged the afTections of his preceptor, and laid the founda-
tion of B friendship whidi continued till his death. The possession of these
virtues also procured him, in a short time, the particular and favourable notice
of the whole university. Having gone through the regular course of four years'
study, which was at that time the prescribed period in all the Scottish colleges,
and taken out his degree, he was immediately elected professor of philosophy,
being then only in the twenty-third year of his age. Here he continued for
four years, discharging the duties of his ofiice with singular diligence, and with
a success idmost without example in Scottish colleges. It was at this time, and
long after this, the practice in the Scottish universities, for the same professor to
conduct the studies of the same set of students through the whole course ; and
the remarkable progress of his pupils, with the public applause he received at
their laureation, induced the magistrates of Edinburgh to fix upon Mr Rollock
as a fit person to open their university, for which they had obtained a charter
from king James the previous year. This invitation Mr Rollock was persuaded
to accept, and in the beginning of winter 1 583, he entered, with all his accus-
tomed zeal upon his laborious office, being the sole teacher, and in his own
person comprising the character of principal and professors to the infant estab-
lishment. The fame, however, of so celebrated a teacher as Mr Rollock
opening a class for philosophy in the newly erected seminary, operated as a
charm, and multitudes from all corners of the kingdom hastened to the capital to

190 ROBBRT ROLLOCE.

take the benefit of his prekotioni. HaTing^ no ametanty Mr Rollo^ joined
oil hia atadenta at ftrat into one daaa, which, from the want of preparatfios on
the part of the atadenta^ rendered bia laboora at firat of little nttlity. AU the
booka need, all the lectsrea delireredy and the whole boalBeaa ef tbe claai wae
tranaaeted in Latin, without aome competent knowledge of whiefa, the atodent
could not pomibljr make any progreaa. From a defeetiTe knowledge In tiiie ra>
vpect among tbe atndenta^ Mr Rollock waa aoon under the n c e eml ty of dividing
Ida ffift M into twO| with one of which he found it the moat proAtable mode ef
proceeding to begin them anew in tbe rudimental parte of baraantty. Al the
recommendation of Vr Rollock, howerer, tbe patrona of the ooQege elected a
young man of ihe name of Duncan Nairn, a aecond maater of the college, who
undertook the charge of thia firat daaa in the month of Norember, 1583. ^Jir
Nairn, who waa tbe aecond profeaaor in the college of Edinburgh, taught liia~
daaa Latin the firat year, Greek tbe aecond, there being properly no hnmanity
profemor in the univenHy till a number of yean after thia. The emolnmeBti
of ofBce in the new univeraity muat haye been rery moderate, Ibr the atudenta
paid no feea, and any funda which had yet been provided were altogether
trifling. Tbe town coundl, however, aeem to have been carefVil of the oomfbrt
of the new profeaaora, aa they allowed Mr Rollodt on the 17th of Sep*
tember, 1588, twenty pounda 8cota for hia ezpenaea in coming tram 8i An-
drewa to Edinburgh at the commencement of bia regency, and on the 25th
of the aucoeeding month of October, thirty pounda Scota for hia aervicea.
They alio, ia tbejmonth of November, ordered Robert Rollock, flrat regent
and Duncan Nairn aecond, twenty pounds Scota each for boarding till Candle-
maa, and in the succeeding year a committee waa appointed to confer with the
former " anent taking up houae." It no doubt required all tbe patronage the
city of Edinburgh could bestow, and all the exertiona of Rollock and hia aa-*
aociate to cany on the aeminary aocceaaftilly with ao little means, and in an age
of ao much ignorance and poverty. Circumstances, too, were greatly againat it.
In tbe year 1585, the plague made its appearance in Edinburgh on tbe fburth
day of May, and raged till the .aucceeding month of January, during which
time the dty waa deaerted by all who bad the means of leaving it. The univer-
sity waa tbua wholly deaerted at a time when tbe students were in the rery
middle of their course, a drcumstance which, considering that ft waa but the
third year of the establishment, must have been highly prejudidal to its intereata.
The profeaaora, however, returned about the middle of January, and the
students, by an order of coundl, were ordered to be in their places upon the
3d of February. In thia same year the national covenant, or confession of
faith, was introduced into the college, and tendered to every student. Mr Rol-
lock waa also created principnl, though he still continued to teach hia daaa.
Hia aaaodate, Duncan Nairn, died the aucceeding year, and the council having
resolved to have three daaaea taught, Messrs Adam Colt and Alexander Scrim-
ger were elected in his pface.

Mr Rollock continued to teach his private daas till the first lanre ation, which
was public, and attended by all the nobility in townT~ The number graduated/
and who of course signed the covenant, was forty-eight. As soon as t his cere - '
mony waa concluded, Mr Rollock resigned his regency, retaining the pri nd-
palship, to which waa now annexed the professorship of theology ,~for~which,
and preaching regularly on the Sabbath, he was allowed four hundred merka
yearly. It was the practice of Mr Rollock to pray in public with the students
every morning, and on one day~of the week to explain to them some passage"
of Scripture, which he never failed to conclude with most pertinent and practi-
cal exhortations. With the more advanced students he was particularly careful

BOBEBT ROLLOCE; 191

that thoy might enier upon Um work of the miDbtry, not only in some raoasare
prepared for, but with a deep feeling of Us important duties. With all this dili-
g0Boe among his pupils, he was a faitbfiil and aeeeptafale minister of the gospel
With literary ardour, however^ almost boundlesi, and the warmest piety, Mr Kol-
leck'e simplicity of character degenerated into, or rather originally possessed a na-
tural imbecility, not at all moommon in minds of this description, uhich disquali-
fied him from acting a consistent, or a profitable part in the conduct of the public
afiaia of the <diurch^ which at this period were of paiamonnt importance ; in-
volTing at once the civil, aad the religious rights of the community. This
focfle disposition was at onoe seen, and appvedated by king James, who, having
■ow amttired bis pbns ibr reducing the cbun^ to an entire dependence upon
himeslf, wm eedulously employed in carrying thewi into effect. For ad-
vancing ihis purpose he had piocsred a meeting of the dergy at Perth in the
month of February, 1597, which by thraatenings, flatteries, and bribes, and by
preventing some individuals from giving their opinion in the matter, he
amnaged to have aet down for a general assembly, whose conclusions were to be
eonwdered as binding upon the whole church. Natorally endowed, however,
with a move than ordinary share of cunning, he proeseded with the -utmost
caution. Disclaiming all intention of introducing anything like change in any
part of either the worship, government^ or discipline of the church, and profess-
ing the utmost reverence ftr religion, and respect for iii ministen, he submit-
ted to this assembly only thirteen articles to be reasoned upon ; aU of tliem
worded in a manner so gentle, and so ambignoos, as to conceal from all but
acute and narrow observers their real spirit and true meaning ; which was, in the
first place, to lay open the preseni established order of the dnirch to be called
in question, thoi^ it was supposed to have been set at rest by the solemn
eaths of his majesty, his councii, his household, and by all who had any concern
in the matter ; secondly, to circumscribe the liberty of the pulpit, eo that no
warning might, through that medium, be giren to the people of the designs of
<he king and his courtiers, when they should come to be discovered ; and
thirdly, that a commission of a lew of the most prudent and orderly of the
ministers liiould be appointed to confer with his majesty and council, upon all
these or other questions, as opportunity or necessity might call for, subject to
the after consideration of a general aaembly, to be indicted only by his
majesty, which was in the above articles not unequivocally claimed as one of
the prerogatives of kis crown. Wifli all the diligence he exerted, however, he
carried his purpose no very great length ; some of his articles being answered
doubtfully, some of them disallowed, asui some of them not answered at all.
Still greater diligence was therefore necessary to prepare matlers for the assem-
bly that was to meet at Dundee in the month of May the same year, wliere
there was not only danger of gaining notliing further in his advances towards
episcopacy, but of all that had been gained in the last assembly being lost
Care was taken to prevent the regular meeting of the assembly which should
have been held at St Andrews in the month of April. Only a very few of the
commissioners rentured to appear, who, along with the moderator, made humble
confession of fheir sins, formed, or constituted the assembly, and took protes*
tations for the liberty cf the kirk, continuing all summonses, references, and
appellations to the assembly following. In the following month, the assembly
met at Dundee, but it was in the new foshion ; the difference betMoen which
and those that had been held prerioosly to that at Perth, of which we have
spoken al>ove, is thus stated by a writer of tkat period of the highest respecta-
bility. '' 1st. Christ by his spiritual office having conrocated and appointed
timea and places before ; now timn tind -places are appointed by the king,

102

ROBERT ROLLOCK.

ciaiintng this as his only due. Snd. The inod«)rator and brethren were
directed by the word of God^ and hia Spirit ; now and hereafter they are to be
. directed by the king, his laws, and state policy. Srd. Matters were before
proposed simply, and the brethren sent to seek light out of the word by reason-
ing, conference, meditation, and piayer; now means are doTised before in
the klng^s cabinet, to bring hu purposes to pass, and heed is taken in public
and priTate what may hinder his course. He that goeth his way is an honest
man, a good peaceable minister ; those that mean, or reason in the contrary,
are seditious, troublesome, coffed, factious ! 4lh. In reasoning, the word was
alleged, the reason weighed, and if of weight yielded unto willingly ; now
the word is pasied by, or posted over and shifted, and if the reason be insisted
upon, the reosoner is borne down and put to silence. 5th. The fear of God,
the care of the kirk, learning, the power of preaching, motion, and force of
prayer, and other gifts shining in those who were present, procured before esti-
mation, rererenoe, and good order ; now the person, presence, and regard to
the prince's farour and purpose swayeth alL If any had a gift, or measure of
learning, utterance, zeal, or power in exhortation beyond others, it was em«
ployed at these assemblies ; now plots are laid how none shall haYe place, but
such as serve for their purpose. 6th. The assemblies of old aimed at the
standing of Christ's kingdom in holineu and freedom ; now the aim is how the
kirk and religion may be framed conform to the political state of a monarch,
and to advance his supreme and absolute authority in all causesL In a word,
where Christ ruled before, the court now beginneth to govern. The king's man
may stand at the king's chair, use what countenance, gesture, or language he
pleaseth, but good men must be taunted, checked,*' &c. Such, according to
Calderwood, was tlie assembly held at Dundee, 1 597. According to the same
autliority, '' After exhortation made by the last moderator, the assembly waa
delayed, and the commissioners wearied till the coming of Mr Robert Bollock,
whom the king, and such as were to further his course, intended to have
moderator. He was a godly man, but simple in the matters of the church
government, credulous, easily led by counsel, and tutored in a manner by his
old roaster, Thomas Buchanan, who was now gained to the king's course. Many
means were used to have him chosen, and the king and his followers prepared
him for the purpose. Sir Patrick Murray (brother to the laird of Balvaird, the
same who had been his majesty's agent for corrupting the assembly at Perth,)
and such ministers as were already won, travailled with others of chief note,
and brought them to be acquaint with the king, which was their exercise mom«
ing and evening." Mr Bollock having been appointed moderator, the assembly
proceeded to pass several acts strongly tending to support the whole superstruc-
ture of episcopacy. This was effected chiefly by a representation of his
majesty *' anent a solid order to be taken anent a constant, and perpetual pro-
vision for the sustentation of the whole ministry within this realme, to the end
that they be not, as in time bygone, forced to depend, and await upon the
commissioners appointed for modifying of their stipends, and so to absent them*
selves the most part of the year from their flocks, to the great disgrace of their
calling, dishaunfeing of the congregation, discontentment of his migesty, whose
oure ever hath been, and earnest desire continuetli as yet, that every congrega-
tion have a special pastor, honestly sustained for the better awaiting upon
his cure, and discharging his dutiful office in the same. Therefore, his
majesty desired the brethren to consider, whether it were expedient, thai a
general commission should be granted to a certain number of the most wise,
and discreet of the brethren to convene with his majesty for eflectuating of the
premises. This, his majesty's advice, the assembly judged to be necessary and

EGBERT BOLLOCK.

193

expedient, and therefore g&^e, and granted their full power and commiaiion
to the brethren,'' &€., &c. These brethren, fourteen in number, seven of whom
with his majesty were to be a quorum, were unhappily, with the exception of
one or two that were named to save appearances, already captirated with
the hopes, tome of them with the express promise, of preferment, and the
assembly was scarcely risen when they began to display all the arrogancy of a
bench of bishops or a high commission court. In the month of June they con-
Tened at Falkland, called before them the presbytery of St Andrews, upon a
complaint by Mr John Rmherford, who had been deposed from the ministry of
Kinnocher by that presbytery, and reduced the sentence. The culprit had
purchased the favour of the court by forging calumnies upon Mr David Black,
** who was a great eye-sore,'' says Calderwood, " to negligent, loose, and unfaith-
ful ministers, of which number this Mr John Rutherford was one, but he lived
in disgrace ever after, and was condemned by the bishops themselves, because
he could serve them to no further use.'' Proceeding to St Andrei^v, they cast
out Mr Wallace and Mr Black, who had but lately been restored ; banishing
the latter to Angus, whence they brought Mr George GTadstanes, soon after
created a bishop, to fill his place.

While they thus broke down the^hedge of the church, by thrusting out two of
her most faithful ministers, and bringing in Mr Gladstanes without the con-
sent of either presbytery or people, they also interfered with the laws of the
university ; obliging Andrew Melville to demit his rectorship, and forbidding
all professors within the university, especially professors of divinity, to sit in
the presbytery upon any matter of discipline. Robert RoUock, moderator of
the last assembly, and consequently of the meetings of the commissioners with
the king, betrayed, aocordiijg to Calderwood, " great weakness, which many that
loved him before construed to be simplicity." By the aid of Mr Rollcck,
and his friends the commissioners, however, his majesty was enabled to restore
the popish earls of Huntly, Angus, and Errol, with whose assistance he carried
in parliament an act for ministers of the gospel to have a place and a vote in
that assembly. This act declared, ** that such pastors and ministers, within the
same^ as at any time his majesty shall please to provide to the office, place,
title, and dignity of a bishop, abbot, or other prelate, shall at any time here-
after have vote in parliament, siclike and as freely as any other ecclesiastical
prelate had at any time bygone. It also declared, that all or whatsoever
bishoprics presently vaiking in his majesty's hands, which are yet undisponed
to any person, or which shall happen at any time hereafter to vaik, shall be
only disposed by his majesty to actual preachers and ministers in the kirk," &c.

Soon after this, Mr Rollodc was seized with an illness, which confined him
to his house, and finally terminated his existence. While on his death-bed, he
requested two friends, who called upon him, to go from him, as a dying man,
to the king, and exhort him to cherish religion and the church, and to protect
and comfort its pastors, and to proceed with these good works with an unfalter-
ing step till the last hour of life ; and not allow himself to be drawn from it,
eithw by the hope of enlarging his authority, or by the evil advices of wicked
men. To the same persons he added, ** You will remember that I was chosen
by the assembly at Dundee, to watch for the interest of this church. In this 1
had the glory of God, and the safety of the" church, miserably tossed with tem«
pests and nhiking, before mine eyes; and I can now declare, that my conscience
does not smite me with any wicked departure from duty, in doubling the number
of the ministers of Edinburgh ; and particularly, in my activity to bring in two
(Messrs Robertson and Ste^vart) who studied under me, when I thought I saw in
them gifts suitable to such a trust, and hoped God would bless their kbours. I

194 6S0R6E BOSS.

am so for from repenting any ihare I had in thia, that to thU hour it it satiify-
'vag to me. I am persuaded the wise Maker of the world has tied the church
and state together with a brotherly and adamantine chain ; and it hath been my
great care to adrance the good of both : and yet the love of peace hath not so
£ir bewitched me^ that I could not distinguish between genuine and adulterous
peace ; neither hath my affection to ray soTereign carried me that length, that
to please him I should submit to the least stain on my conscience. I hope the
integrity and candour of my conduct shall appear when I am dead. In a word,
brethren, join together with the most intimate lore and conoord in the work of
the Lord. Let me put you in mind to pay erery obedience to the king. You
lire in happy times^ and eojoy a singular felicity. You are blessed with a
prince who drank in religion with his milk ; who hath guarded your doctrine
with a right discipline, and coters both the doctrine and discipline of religion
with his protection ; who hath taken the church so much into his cave, at by
open and pLiin unanswerable documents, to make it evident, that he will never
desert her while he breathes. Therefore, what you may easily and plsMantly
enjoy, it will be folly to seek after by harsh methods. You will^ then, take
particular care, that the dmrch be not ruined by a fall from such high happi-
ness.*' Mr Bollock died on the 8th of January, 1598, in the forty-thtid year
of his age. His remains were attended to the place of intermeBt by nearly the
whole population of Edinburgh, who considered him as their spiritual father,
and regarded his death as a public calamity. The town council had paid his
house rent for many years, and they allowed his widow the one half of his
salary for five years, and to his posthumous daughter they gave^ from the dty
fiinds, one thousand marks, by way of dowry. He published eeveial works,
chiefly commentaries on parts of Scripture, several of which were printed at
Geneva, and obtained the warm approbation of the learned and judicious
Beza. These works are still to be met with, and, though tinged with the scholas-
tic theology of the times, discover great natural acuteness, a full icyiaintanoe
with his subject, and very extensive learning. His whole life seems^ indeed, to
have been devoted to literature.

^ ROSE, Gaoaoa, an eminent modern political diarader, was bom at Brechin,
June 1 1, 1744. He was the son of a poor non-juimnt devgyasan of the SeeCr
tish episcopal communion, who, through the penecutaon which his oider en«
dured from the government after the insurrection of 1745, seems to have kist
the means of supportiiig his family. Under these unfortunate ciicuaastanoes,
George Rose was received by an undo who kept an academy near Hampstead,
by whom he was, at a very early period of life, phwed in a auigeon^s shop.
Not liking this employment, he had the good fortune to attract the attention of
the earl of Marchmont, who, from sympathy for the canse of his father^s dis«
tresses, and other considerations, procured him a aituation on board a ship of
war. Here the ofRoe of purser, to which Geoige soon attained, enabled him to
display his qualities of activity, industry, and punctuality in so extraoffdinary a
manner, as to attract the notice of the earl of Sandwich, then at the head of
the admiralty. After occupying several subordinate situations in the public of-
fices, he was appointed keeper of the records, for which his qualifications wero
entirely suited. The confused mass of papers which filled this office, were by
him arranged and classed in such a manner, that any one could be found im.
mediately when wanted. This achievement was attended with audi extrame
convenience to the ministry, that it attracted the particular attention of lord
North, and established Mr Rose as the man whose services were to be i«iaited
to for all such systematic and laborious work.

In 1767, he was appointed to complete the Journals of the House of Lords in

6EOB0B R06B.

195

thirtyi-otie folio Tolumet; a laborious and creditable datj, for wfaidi he
received a very handaome torn. Mr Rose from this time found regular employ*
ment in the public offices ; but it was not till the Pitt trnd Dundas administnu
tion, that he was raised to any eminent station in die public sernce. He was
then appointed joint-secretary to the treasury, and introduced into that depart-
ment his habits of order, of regularity, and of careful attention to details.
Mr Ros^ qualifications were not of that order which make a great display ;
but which, nerertheless, are so necessary, that the want of them soon becomes
conspicuous. In the business of every administratioa, there is a great deal of
laborious seoond^rate woric, which cannot be oonTeniently executed by the
highest class of stetesmen. The bold and eomprehensire phins which they are
called upon to form, require talents and habits which are very seldom found
united with the power of minute calculation and patient inquiry. A laborious
men, therefore, whose diligence and accuracy can be depended on, is an im-
portant acquisition to every administration. Such a one, who does not renture
into the high and uncertain ground of p<diUcal contention, may survire many
ministerial shocks, and may recommend himself without discredit to cabinets
differing considerably in their political aspect Such an assistant was found by
Mr Pitt In the subject of the present memoir, who, with Uie exception of two
short intervals, continued, during half a century, a sort of ministerial fixture,
carrying on the routine cf public offices, with many useful plans and objects of
a subordinate nature. While superintending the business of the treasury, his
rigikmce was unremitted in inspecUng and keeping on the alert cTery depart*
ment of the widely nmified system. Trade also ocimpied a considerable share
of his attention ; and no man was more intimately acquainted with its facts and
details ; though he does not seem to hare reached those sound and comprehen-
sive views which were familiar to Mr Pitt. Amid a variety of delicate employ-
ments, no charge was ever made against his integrity, except one, which turned
out quite groundless.

On the accession of the Addlngton administration in 1301, and afterwards
on the Ibrmation of that of the Talenti in 1 606, Mr Rose retired along with
Mr Pitt, but resumed the public serrioe in both cases on the restoration of the
Tories. On Mr Pitt's return to power, he was made'jjrice-president, and soon
after, president of the Board of Trade, with a salary of £4000 a-year ; in
which situation, excepting during the Talents administration, he continued till
his death. As a matter of course, Mr Rose was in parliament during the greater
part of his public career. His speeches in that assembly were generally on
subjects connected with trad^ and were confined chiefly to details of facts^
whidi he stated in a manner that aimed at nothing like ornament. He de-
serves particular praise for the eeal with which he engaged in plans no way
connected with ministerial influence, and haring for their sole object to im-
prove the condition of the indigent classes of society. He gaye his full support
to friendly societies and sarings* banks ; and introduced laws to encourage, and
secure the property of those establishments. In questions relating to the com
laws, he usually took part with the people against the landed interest The
plans for taking a census of the population were oondueied under bis anspioes.

Eariy in lile, Mr Rose married a lady connected with the island of Dominica
by whom he had a large fiunily. He purchased the estate of Cufinells, in the
Kew Forest, which he spent a large sum in ornamenting. His regidar and
temperate life vim prolonged to a greater extent, than might have been ex-
pected from the laborious way in which he had spent It He died at GuffDells,
January 13, 1818, in the 75th year of his age. It was the sInguUir fortune of
Mr Rose, that he could declare in his last moments, in reforence to his family.

196

ALEXANDIB BOSS.

that '' they bad been a bleaiing to him during a long aeries of yean, and had
never oauted him one hour*8 pain.**

Mr Rote was the author of a oonriderable numbec of Aigitire political
vrritingiy and of a respectable historical treatiae, which be published with his
name, under the title of " Observations on the Historical Woric of Mr Fox."
These '' Observations" iiere prompted partly by a dissent from, some of the
political views in the History of James II., and partly by a wish to clear some
charges brought against Sir Fatridc Hume, the ancestor of his patron and
friend, the eari of Maichmont, whose executor he was. The political (pinions
in^tbe work, though opposed in some points to those of Mr Fox, are considered
liberal, considering the general strain of the author's political life. Mr Rose
also superintended, unde»the direction of the House of Lords, the publication of
a superb engraved edition of Doomsday Book.

ROSS, AxxzANnoi, a very voluminous writer, but remembered less for his
numerous works, than for a celebrated couplet in Hudibras i^-

** There was an ancient sage philosopher,
Who had read Alexander Ron of^r,^*

He was bom in Aberdeen in the year 1690 ; but his parentage has not been
ascertained, nor have the circumstances of his early life been recorded. He
has been generally confounded with a contemporary of the same name, of whom
some account will be found in the next memoir. At what time he quitted Scot*
land is unknown ; but it is supposed that not long after his arrival in England,
he vm appointed master of the grammar school of Southampton, and chaplain to
Charles I. These appointments were probably procured through the influence
of Laud, archbishop ^ Canterbury, to whom he expresses his obligations in the
dedication of his <' Commentum de Terras Motu Circulari Refutatum.'' This
woik appeared at London in 1634 ; and though professedly written against
Lansbergius and Carpentarius, two advocates of the Copemican theory, con-
tains, in fiu;t, an epitome of all the arguments that have been adduced against
that system. The Uitinity is respectable, and the argument is managed with
considerable skill During the struggles of the great civil war, Ross espoused
the royal cause, and his mtings are filled with praises of the king, and de-
nunciations of the parliament It has been remarked by Echard, however, that
he '' so managed his affairs, that, in the midst of these storms, he died very
rich, as appears from the several benedictions he made." His death took place
eariy in 1654. We learn from the MSS. of Sir Robert SibbaM, that, by his
will, dated dlst February, 1653, and probated 19th April, 1654, among
numerous other benefactions, he left £900 to the town council of Aberdeen, for
the foundation of two bursaries ; j£50 to the poor of Southampton ; £60 to the
poor of the parish of All-Saints ; and £50 to the Bodleian library. There is
scarcely a subject in the wide range of literature, on which Ross has not left a
work. His first publication appean to have been poetical : *' Rerum Judai-
carum Libri Duo*', London, 1617. To these he added a third book in 1619,
and a fourth in 1633. The rarest of his poetical eflTusions bears no date, but
is entitled " Three Decads of Divine Meditations, whereof each one containeth
three parts. 1. History. S. An Allegory. 3. A Prayer. With a Commen-
dation of a Private Country Life.*' This work has been priced so high as
£8 88. '* Four Books of Epigrams in Latin Elegiacs," also appeared without
a date; and in 164S he published, « Mel Heliconium, or Poetical Honey
gathered out of the Weeds of Parnassus. The first boc^ is divided into rii
chapters, according to the first vii letters of the alphabet, containing 48 ficUons,
out of which are extracted many historicall, natural], morall, politicall, and

AIBXAIIDEB BOSS.

197

theological! obterTations, both delightful and useful ; with 48 Meditations in
Yeneb" But his most celebrated work in the department of poetry^ is his
** Virgilii Enmgelisantis Christiados Libri xiii./* which was published at Loiw
don in 1634, and again in 1638 and 1659. This is a cento from Virgil, gir«
ing a Tiew of the leading features of sacred history, from the murder of Abel to
the ascension of Christ It excited considerable notice in its day, and was
more lately brought before the public attention by Lauder, who accused Milton
of hanug plagiarised it Lauder says, that by many Ross's Christiad is esteemed
equal with the iSneid. The opening lines may serre as a specimen : —

" Acta, Deumque cano, coll ^ui primus ab oris
Yirginis in betie gremlum desoendit et orbem
Temrum iuTisit profugu% ChanaDBBaque Tcnit
Litton, multum Ille et terra jactataa et alto
In superum, sbvI memorem Plutonls ob iram.*'

His chief works in the department of history, are, ** A nimad versions and Ob-
serrations upon Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World, wherein his Mis-
takes are noted, and some doubtful Passages noted,*' London, 1653 ; and ** The
History of the World, the Second Part, in six books, being a Continuation of
Sir Walter Raleigh's," London, 1653. '' This," says Granger, (3d edit tqL
iii. p. 32,) is like a piece of bad Gothic tacked to a nngnifioent pile of Roman
architecture, which serres to heighten the effect of it, while it exposes its own
deficiency in strength and beauty." In 165S, was published, with a portrait of
the author, '' Pansebia, or View of all the Religions in the World, with the
Lives of certain notorious Hereticks." Afterwards reprinted in 1673, 1675,
1683, &a Ross entered into controversy with Hobbes, Sir Thomas Browne,
Hervey, and Sir Kenelm Digby ; and has left, among others, the following con-
troversial writings : *' Observations upon Hobbes^s Leviathan," 1653; '' Arcana
Microcosm!, or the Hid Secrets of Man's Body discovered, in Anatomical Duel,
between Aristotle and Galen ; with a Refutation of Thomas Browne's Vulgar
Errors, from Bacon's Natural History, and Hervey's book De Generatione,"
1651 ; the '' Philosophical Touchstone, or Observations on Sir Kenelm Digby's
Discourse on the Nature of Bodies and of the Reasonable Soul, and Spinosa's
Opinion of the Mortality of the Soul, briefly confuted," 1645. This does not
exhaust the catalogue ai Ross's writings. Besides many ascribed to him on
doubtful authority, there remain to be mentioned: "The New Planet, no
Planet, or the Earth no Wandering Star, against Galil»us and Copernicus,'*
1640; '^Mystagogus Poeticus, or the Muses' Interpreter," 1647, which
went through six editions ;*'' Enchiridium Oratorium et Poeticum," 1650;
<^ Medicus Medicatus, or the Physician's Religion cured," 1645; '' Meliso*
machia ;" ** GoUbquia Plautina ;" '' Chronology, in English ;" << Chymera Py-
thagorica," no date; ** Tonsor ad cutem Rasus," 1629 ; ** Questions and An«
swers on the First Six Chapters of Genesis," 1630 ; ** The Picture of the
Conscience," 1646 ; *^ God's House, or the House of Prayer, vindicated from
Profaneness," 1643 ; '' God's House made a Den of Thieves," 1643. Theso
two last pieces are sermons.

ROSS, Albxander, frequently confounded with the former, was the son of
James Ross, minister at Strachan, in Kincardineshire, and afterwards at Aber«
deen. The date of his birth has not been ascertained, but it was probably be-
tween 1570 and 1580. He was for some time minister of the parish of Insch,
in 1631 he was appointed minister of Footdee, a catechetical charge in the
close ^cinity of Aberdeen ; and^in 1636, was chosen one of the ministers of St
Nicholas' church in that city._ Ross, like his colleagues, supported the episcopal

198

ALEXANDER ROSS.

form of gOTWnjMnt, and tubicribed dw ** Genenll Demandi * propoonded to
the commiMtonen, Rppointed by the tablet, to enforae the stibiaription ai the
eovenant in Aberdeen. The day before their arrifal^ he thundeied from the
pulpit againit their proceedingi, and exhorted his hearen to retitt their threats.
He appeari alao to hai^ been in conretpondeBoe with Laud. In March, 1639,
the covenanting foroes approached Aberdeen, and the chiefii of the episcopal
party fled. Ross was unable to qnit the town from a sidcness, from which he
aeeow never to have recovered : he died on lldi August, 1639. Hit only
publication appean to be the following, which is extant in Bishop Forbe^s
Funerals (p. 149 to 178} : "A Gonsolatorie Sermon, preached upon the Death
of the R. R. Father in God, Patrick Forbea, late Bishop of Aberdene. By
Alexander Rosse, Doctour of Divinitie, and Minister of the Evangell in Aber-
dene, in Saynet Nicholas Ghurche there, anno 1635, the xv of AprilL''

ROSS, Albxamobb, a poet of aone eminence, waa bom in the parish of Kin*
cardine O'Neil, Aberdeenshire, on the 1 3th April, 1699. His father was Ai^
drew Ross, a farmer, in easy droumstances. Rosa received the first elements
of his education at the parochial school, under a teacher of considerable local
celebrity ; and after four years* study of the Latin language^ suooeeded ia
gaining a bunary at the eompetition in Marisdkal college, in November 1714»
Haring gone through the usual curriculum of the university, he received the
degree of master of arts'^in 1718 ; and shortly after was engaged as a tutor to
the family of Sir William Forbes of Craigievar and Fintray ; a gentleman who
appears to have possessed considerable taste and learning. How long the poet
remained in this situation has not ^been ascertained ; but he seems to have
earned the good opinion of his patron, who recommended him to study divinity^
with the assurance that his interest should not be wanting to procure a comfort-
able settlement in the church. Favourable as this oflbr M-as, from a gentleman
who had no fewer than fourteen patronages in his gift, Ross declined it, on b
ground which evinces extraordinary modesty, — ** tlmt he could never enteitain
sudi an opinion of his own goodness or capacity as to think himself worthy of
the ofilce of a clergyman.** On leaving the family of Sir William Forbes,
Ross for some time taught, apparently as an assistant, the parochial sdiool of
Aboyne in his native county, and afterwards that of Laurencekirk, in Kincar>
dineshire. While in this last situation he became acquainted with the fiither of
Dr Beattie ; a man who, in our poet's opinion, " only wanted education to have
made him, perhaps, as much distinguished in the literary world ai his son. He
knew something of natural philosophy, and particularly of astronomy, and used
to amuse himself in calculating eclipses. He was likewise a poetiod genius,
and showed our author some rhymes of considerable merit** In 17S6, Rosa
married Jane Gattanach, the daughter of a fkrmer in Aberdeenshire, and de-
scended by the mother from the ancient family of Duguid of Auchinhove. In
1733, by the influence of his friend, Mr Gaiden of Troup, he waa appointed
schoolmaster of Lochlee, in Angus ; and the rest of his life was spent in the
discharge of the duties of this humble oflloe. There are, perhaps, few pieces
of scenery in Scotland of a more wild and poetical character than that in
which Ross's lot was cast Lochlee is a thinly peopled parish^ lying in the
very centra of the Grampians, at the head of Uie valley of the North Esk.
The population is almost entirely confined to one solitary glen, the green
fields and smoking cottages of which are singularly refreshing to the eye
of the traveller, after the weary extent of blesdc moor and mountain which
hem in the spot on all sides. On a mound in the centre, stands the ruin of an

> life of RosBL by his grandson, the Rer. Alexander Ttiomson of Lentratheth— prefixed
to an edition of the ** Fortunate Shepherdess,*' printed at Dundee, 1818.

ALEXANSEB ROSS.

199

incient furtaLLC«j built by the powerful TamUy of the Lindsnyi of Edzel, oi a
yAace of relieat^ uhet^ they could defy thofe dangers w hick Ihey could not copfl
u'kh in tlieLr Lowland domai tn, in the How of the Meftms. The lodi, which
giret tti name to Ihe parte h, U a very beautiful «heet of wator^ imbedded deep
among it«ep and (^niggy mountains. The Lee, the itream which feeds it^ Aowi
Ui rough a very itild glen, and over a rocky channel, in ieveral pictureiqiie
waterfall]^ On one of Ihe tall precJpicei that fumi ita lidei, an eagle hni
built ita neat J lecure from molefitaiionf in the inacceisible nature of the
clii^ llie remain I of lion*a bouae etill exltt^ tituated near Iho eastern ex*
Lremity of the loch, and only a fetv feet from the water** ^dge. Near n1
liand, lurrounded by a {e\f aged troea, ii tlte liille burying ground of the
|iariih^ thd tombitonei of which bear iome epitaphi from Hosa'a pen, arid
there hii own aahei are depoaited.^ The poet^a houae ia no^r of^^cupied ai
aaheepfold; and ihe garden, on tvhich it ia eaid he bealowed much of hii
time, can »till be traced by the rank luxurianoe of the w«(sd» and graaa, and the
frag^enti of a rude tvalL It ia impoaaible to look on tho ruina of this humble
hut, witliout intereat: iLi dimeniiona are thirty feet in length, and t^'elre in
breadth ; and thia narrov^ apace ivoa all tliat waa allotted to the aeh<>okroom and
the rofidenoe of ita roaater. The nalla aeem to hav« contained but ttto apartmenta,
eacli about twdre iquare feet in iiae, and the eaitern waa that occtipied by Hoaa,
froiu whom one of the windowf, now built up, ii atili named the Poet*i win-
dow, Jle had trained to duater around it honejiuckle and aweet-briar ; and
bere^ looking forth on tiie watera of tlve loch, ia laid to hare been hta farourlte
aeat wheo engaged in oompciition. So deep and oon fined is (he glen at thia
ipot, that, for thirty daja of tlw ^inter^the aun never ahinea on the poers
dwelling* The emolument! of Hoaa'a oAice were aniall^ but ]>erhDpB more hi-
47a tire than the majority of parocliial achooli in the aame quarter ^ from his be-
ing entitled to a tort of glebe, and lome other amalL perquiaites. One of hU
biographen hui quoted tome linea of the introduotioti to Helenore, at a proof of
Ilow'a poverty and want : —

*' Pity anca mnlr, f&r I'm out-lhraw as dung—
'Twas Lkit grf m gosip, chandjcr-ekiftud waijt,
Wi' thread -barn dasthiii^ and on ambry iomt/ ^lU.

It ia contoHng to b« latisfimi that theie lines are not to be undei^tood In a
literal senfeit VVa an aasured by hia grandson, that " no person in hia atatfoo,
or perhapi in any station , enjoyed n greater ah are of penona^ and domestic
happinen. His liriug wai^ indeed, but amall, not exceeding twenty pounds a-
jear^ eicluiife of the profit! of hia glebe ; but he had no desire beyond what
was neoeaaary to support himaelf and family, in a ^ray suitable to hia etation ;
and, contideHng the atrlct economy obierred in hia houie, and the simple,
though neat mode of lining, to which he ^as accuitomed, the eniolui^jenta of his
olHce, as well as the pro^u ariiinsf from hit publicationij rendered hiin in some
degree comforLible and independanL*^ Tt wai not until he had resided hera
for ihirty-Bix yeara, that, in the year 1768, when he was nearly serenty, Ro«
appealed before the public as an author. So «nrly aj hii aixtcenth year, he
had comiiieiieeal writnig T«rie ; a tnintlation from the Latin of Bachanan^
coMpoted at tluit age, hafing been pablithed by hia grandion in the memoir we
ba?e just quoted. From^that time, he aeenii to hare cultivated hit poetical
takali with ceatele* awiduityi Dr Beattie^ ^o appeaxt to have advised

s The only feet which a learch of the kSiic icnion n«ister of LocUee ftiniidied with regard
to Bom, 18 ooe of no very poelical nature, ris., that ror some yaera he rented the gnam of
thia quiet cemetery, at the yearly rent of £l sterlb^.

u

'O.-?

200

ALBXANDSR BOSS.

him in the selection of hif works for publicatioo, writes, in a letter to Dt
Blacklock, '' He put into niy hands a great number of manuscripts in rene,
chiefly on religious subjects : I believe Sir Richard Blackmore is not a mors
ToluminouB author. He told me that he had never written a single line with a
view to publication : but only to amuse a solitary hour.*'' The poems which
by Dr Beattie's ad^ce were diosen for publication consisted of ** Helenore, or
the Fortunate Shepherdess," and some songs, among which were, ^ The Rock and
the Wee Pickle Tow,'* '* To the Begging we will go,** and ** Woo'd and mar-
xied and a*.*' They appeared at Aberdeen in 1768/ in one Tolume 8ro, and
a considerable number of subscribers having been procured, the profits of the
publication amounted to about twenty pounds ; *' a sum,** says Beattie, ^* &r
exceeding his most sanguine expectations, for I believe he would thankftilly
have sold his whole works for five.** To promote the sale, Beattie (%vhose in-
terest in Ross was excited by the lattei^s acquaintance with the doctor's father)
addressed a letter to the editor of the Aberdeen Journal, together with some
verses inscribed to Ross, which are remarkable firom being their author's only
composition in the Scottish dialect ; they have been prefixed to all the subse-
quent editions of Helenore, and possess much merit The success of the volume
does not seem to have been very rapid, for ten years elapsed before the publi-
cation of the second edition. While this was going through the press, Dr Beattie
wrote to Ross from Gordon castle, with an invitation from the noble^ownen to
pay them a visit Though now eighty years of age, the poet at once accepted
the invitation, and took that opportunity of presenting a copy of the second edition
of his work, dedicated to the duchess of Gordon. He remained at the castle for
some days, says his grandson, and ** was honoured with much attention
and kindness both by the didce and duchess, and was presented by the
latter with an elegant pocket-book, containing a handsome present, when he
returned to Lochlee in good health, and with great satisfaction.'' The next
year he experienced the loss of his wife, who died at the advanced age
of eighty-two, and to whose memory he erected a tombstone with a poeti-
cal epitaph. He himself did not long survive : on the SOth of May, 1 7 84« ** worn
out with age and infirmity, being in his eighty-sixth year, he breathed hb last,
with the comnosure, resignation, and hope becoming a Christian.*' Of Ross'M
numerous family, two sons and a daughter died in early youth, and four daughters
survived him. Such are the few facts^that constitute the biography of Alexander
Ross. His character appears to have been marked by much cheerfulness and
simplicity ; lowly as was his lot, he found tranquillity and content in it, and
the picture of liis household piety which has come down to us, is singularly af-
fecting. Regrets have been expressed that a man of his merits should have
been allowed to toil on in the humble situation of a parish schoolmaster ; but it
should be remembered that he was nearly seventy yean old before he gave the
public proof of his talents, and it may be very doubtful if at that advanced age
he would have found in a higher sphere the same peace and happiness which
he had so long enjoyed in his Highland glen. It is also gratifying to think
that the profits of .-his publications, trifling as they would now be viewed, were
still sufficient to aflbrd him many additional luxuries ; and that the fame which
his poems received from the world reached his retired home, and secured to him
honour from his neighbours, and marks of attention from the few strangers of

• Forbes' Life of Beattie, i. 119. We may add Dr BeatfTe^s de«:ription of Ross at this
date : « He is a good humoured, sodal, happy old man : modest without downishnea^ and
lively without petulance."

4 u The Fortunate Shepherdess, a pastoral tale in the Scottish dialect, by Alexander Roas.
Schoolmaster at Lochlee, to which are added a few songs by the author. Aberdeen, printed
by and for Frauds Dougla8«-1768.*'— pp. 150.

ALEXANDER BOSS.

201

rank that found tlicir way to LocUee. Neither should it be forgotten that
his Bongs became, oven in his own day, as they still continue, the favourite
ditties of his neighbourhood, and that the poet's ears Trere gratified by hearing
his own verses chanted on the hill-sides in summer, and by the cottage ingle
in winter. This is the incense to his genius prized by the poet beyond otlicr
earthly rewards, and which cheers him even when stricken by the poverty which
18 " the badge of all his tribe.*' Ross left eight volumes of unpublished works,
of which an account has been preserved in Campbell's lutrodaction to the
History of Poetry in Scotland, (p. 372 to 284.) The chief of these is a tale
in the same measure uith the Fortunate Shepherdess, entitled, '* The Fortunntd
Shepherd, or the Orphan." The specimens uhich are given are too unsatis-
factory to permit us to judge if we ought to regret iti suppression, which we
are informed was owing to the advice of Dr Seattle. '' A Drenro, in imitation
of the Cherry and Slae,^* and composed in 1753, seems to possess some stanzas
of considerable merit. '' Religious Dialogues," written in 1754, are charac-
terized by Beattie as unfit for publication; and I\!r Campbell, certainly a
favourable critic, can find no word of commendation for the six pieces which
bear the following titles : " A Paraphrase on the Song of Solomon ;" '* A View
of king David's Afflictions ;" " The Shunamite, from 2 Kings iv. ;" " Moses
exposed in the Ark of Bulrushes ;*' " An incitement to Temperance, from
a ' thought of the nice oonstniciion of the Human Body ;" and ** Moses'
story continued." This long catalogue seems to have been the origin of
Beattie's comparison of Ross with Sir Richard Blackmore. In addition to these
there are in the same strain, '* The Book of Job rendered into English verse,"
1751, and *' A Description of the Flood of Noah." A translation of Andrew
Ramsay's beautiful poem on the creation seems to possess more merit ; and
from the specimens given is at least fully equal to that of the notorious Lauder,
whose attick on Milton had the effect of attracting attention to Ramsay's works.
The list of Ross's unpublished works is closed by a dramatic piece, called
<' The Shaver," founded on an incident which occurred in Montrose, and
by a prose composition, "A Dialogue of the Right of Government among
the Scoti, the persons George Buchanan and Thomas Maitland." ** There are
ninety sections in this tract," says Campbell, "and from the slight look
I have taken through it I am of opinion it might be rendered a very valuable
performance." The specimen given docs not indicate the direction of Ross's
political sentimenti, nor does Campbell supply that information ; his grandson
tells us that "he was best pleased with sucii religious discourses as were strictly
Calviniatic."

From the information thus preserved regarding Ross's unpublished writings,
there seems little reason to regret their loss. His reputation Viust be founded
on his Fortunate Shepherdess, and the songs which were published along with
it With all its faults, this poem is possessed of a high degree of merit ;
and, in addition to its local fame, will continue to be esteemed by the student
of Scottish poetry. Burrs has written of him, " Our true brother, Ross of Loch-
lee, was a wild warlock ;" and " the celebrated Dr Blacklock," says Dr Irving,
'< as I have learnt from one of his pupils, regarded it as equal to the pastoral
of Ramsny." This last opinion, it is to be feared, will be shared by few ; nor
is it any strong evidence of its soundness, to say that it iras adopted by John
Pinkerton, who writes : — " Some of the descriptions are exquisitely natural and
fine ; the language and thoughts are more truly pastoral, than any I have yet
found in any poet, save Theocritus." Ross, indeed, is far inferior to Ramsay
in delicacy of feeling, in taste, and in the management of his story. In read-
ing the Fortunate Shepherdess we constantly meet with expressions and allu-

:ra2

ALSKAN9BR

•ioBt of tte

u8MfipCl0By^

Dr Itfing hM qotflaa two liii« of tlds

•• And now Um jiricit tojofai Um pair b oome ,
Bui fiiit if wdoom'd uitk a ^^om o' nan."

And it iren Miy to fill a pege wHli limilar instmiMt : —

•« Now« Mw|r «» w flM^ir «t ii>«i^
And rt Ibdr Jiidi« ivltt M iMw to Mb"

Nor CBn the feeder eaaily orerlook Roh^ absurd nomendatore. ThD6 tifaa
hero if honoured with tho fenule name of Botalind, and Scottiah glena aae
dolhed with the daaiic appeiUaUoDs of FlaTiana and Sairitia ; whidb lut name,
intended by the author to be expreiaire of fieroeneM, waa^ by a typi^gn^lcal
acror in the firrt edition, conretivd into 8«?ilxa. But the moat foicible ohjeo-
tion nndoobtodly lies in tlie plot, Uian which it were difficult to eonoeive any
tiling more unpoeticiL The early part of the poem is deroted to the deicripi'
tion of ttie lore of the hero and heroine, whidi ia beauUfolly painted in ila
vtriooi itagee, growing up from their infancy to their youth, and gtrenglfaened
by all the lore-in^iring incidents and situaUons of a pastoral life. And at the
rery moment when the poet has succeeded In completing this heauttfiil picbufe
of simple affection and guileless innocence, he sets himself to undo the diarm,
weds Uie heroine to a ridier lover, and sao^fices the hero to a maniage, whldi
his heart cannot approTO, and of which tlie chief object is the r eeotei y of certain
sheep and homed cattle. Ross seems to have been aware of the objections
whidi ars chargeable against this denouemetdt and endeaTOora to obriate them
In the prefooe prdixed to the fint edition, by pleading that it is productiTe of
a sahitary moral : — " This important lesson is inculcated, that when two young
people have come mider engagements to one another, no considerstion what-
ever shodd indooe them to brnk fiiith, or to promise tfiings incompatible wHh
keeping it entire.^ It is certainly ^Acnh to see the force of this apology ;
and RossH error on this head is the mora note>worthy from his talcing cAjection
in his invocation to the ploC of his model, the Gentle She^erd: —

.••AOanbcam

The grm MbmO, an* ths giesn humls wrnni
We'el mat he brsok thMn,>r sAo' 5» iM 49M^d

It is singular how Ross could have overlooked the dronmBcaaee, that Bamny,
in elevata^ his hero, saarifioaa no long^cherished feeling, or tamer aflectkMi ,•
while not only is the Fortnoate Shepherdess raised to a similar rank, but this
upon the very rains of an affection, which had twined itself round her heacU
strings fipom bar earliest yearsL We have, periups, dwelt too hmg upon the
ungracious taak of &ult-finding. Bms*s chief talent lies, as was remarked by
Beattie, in his descriptions of scenery, and of the habits of a rude and pastoral
life. Many of tiiese will cope with tiie best passages in the Gentle Shepherd,
or in any of our Scottish poeii. We may refer to the description ef a vaUey at
noon (at page 38 of the second edition) ; to the pictura of Flaviana, which haa
been quoted by Sir Walter Soott in the Heart of Mid Lothian ; and to the
numerous descriptions of morning, evening, and night, scattered through the
poeas. It must not be concealed, however, that few of the delineations possem
that oonsisteney in their parts, completenets, and nice finish, which ara to be
found in the Gentle Shepherd. Boss's songs, though certainly of a very high

JOBN BDW. 203

order rfiarit^ham frnkKinatM^hmn anted in Um iMie popular •ditiont oi
hu vwlok Tha k to be legntted, m tbey are diifigwed by dom of tin fanlti
of bia lai|^ work, and, notwiOMlaiitfiiig tbeir laDgth, vould be valuable
additioiia to tka SeoAIbb long book. It hai been already mein^eBed, thai
two edUioaa of hk woek appeared in tke antbor^a lifttiafie ; a tfurd wae
piiBted at Aberdeen iu 1787 ; a Iburtk ai Edtoburgh ia L804, in toe eame
▼ohunowtkMaeneiU'aWiU and Jean, and aoBM etoer poeme: andafiilhap*
peered aft Dundee in 181S. TUi laet bar a life prefixed by bia gaandeon; and
it ie to be regretted tfiat tke libevtiee taken wilb tbn text, tbe onuMen of the
preBMU, aengi^ and gkienry, ekonld faa?e rendered ii io defectiTe.* Beiidee
ttieee, there have appeared nunerena editiene, on ooane paper, and at a
low priee^ to be hawked tbrengh Ihe norto of Seetiendj wkero they ever find a
ready ndeu Of iSbm number of tkeio eeprinta^ it ia not eaey to obtain an ao-
count; we brieve the kit iettuilpnblkbed at Aberdeen in 1896. In Aberdeen-
■him and in Angue^ the Meems and Momy, there ia no wodc UMwe popukr
than *^ The Forlunato Skepkerdew.** U diyitee popukrily whii Bnme and
timPilgriflft'ePregveM; k read, to hk idk hem, by the ihefkerd in the ^ne,
and wUee away tke wearinew of the hn^ winter nfght, at the crefter% irende.
On ik /bet appeaianee, Beattk ]

*< And ilka Meams and Ai^gus buini,
Thy tales and unga by hcait aball learn."

The prediction baa been amply Yerified^ and a hope nhich Ron expraued ia
one of hk unpublished poeim, has beon realized :-.

* Henes kngv peiktps, long hence may qooled be»
My hanely proTorto Bned wi* Mythcnme 'gke ;
fionw reader then may My, * Fair ft* yB, Rnm,*
WheB»«nMbw, 1*8 totoig, kng deMi and gwie.
An' inr rememtoc there wae ilch aaM.**

BOW, Josn, a eilabmted diriney waa dereanded of a fimily of rome note for
the part they had home to the ecdeuaatknl hntory of their country. Hie
grandlalher, John Bow, had gone abroad m eariy youth, and the frne of bii
talenta and leeming having reached tbo ¥atkan, he wap in 1558, seiecled by
the Pope aa-an emloary to watch ever the dawning reteamtion to Scotland.
But^ to m ahoti tfane after hk retam to hk aatim country, he embraced the
prinoipbe of the reformed religion, and advocited them with mndi aeal and
ability. He waa to 1560, appointed mtokter of Perth, and from that time en.
joyed eonaidembto ininenee to the councik of the retemed clergy, aharing
the ijrieadahip of Knox, and other dktingnidied men of thai age. Uia eldest
•on watibcfUly4woyeerBBHnkterof Garnock]nFife,&nddiedattheadraneed
age of aMrenty^hi. He woe partly author of ** The Hwtorie of the Kuk of
Scotland from the year 1558, to August to Anno 1637, written by Mr John
Bew, kto mtoUtec at Gamodc, to the province of File and preihyterie of Dun.
iermUno." Thk k preewrved to MS. to the Adrocatea^ library, and baa been
pronounced by one well fitted to judge, *' a very vafauble but mther prolix
work." The> dato of the birtfi of John Bow, hk aeeond aoo, Ihe aubject of the
preient memoir bee not been pieierfed, but it may be iwfenred to the latter

« Tto Utorika taken with the text, wUoh iro flomplato of, cwnkt to attemptB ta inunlato
tbe more otoolete worde into £ng1iah» and in frequent emtoiaewefceupiet% wittout any die.
cernlble cause. Wo have * shepherd/ for * herding ;' < honest, ' ftr 'SBekkes;' *liv'd,' tor
* \Tonn*d ;' * a burning coal/ for • a dear bnint coal,' te.

201 JOHN HOW.

years of the sixteenth, or more probably to the beginniog of the seFenteenth cen-
tury.^ At a very enrly period of life he wai appointed rector of the gnummur
school at Perth, and for many years discharged that office with much reputa-
tion. He was the first Hebrew scholar of Uiat day, an accomplishment which
seems to hare been hereditary in the family ; his father, it is reported, having
*' discovered some genius for Hebrew when he was only a child of four or ti^e
yeara old,^ and his grand&ther having been, it is said, the first who publicly
taught Hebrew in Scotland. While rector of the Perth sdiool, Row composed
his *' Hebrea Linguss Institutiones Coropendiostssimfe et facillimie in Discipu-
lorum gratiam primum concinnatie,* which was published at Glasgow in 1644.
This work was dedicated to lord chancellor Hay of Kinnoul, to whom he ex*
presses himself obliged for benefits conferred on his father, and for having pro-
cured himself tlie situation he held. After the fashion of the day, the book uns
prefaced by several commendatory verses ; and of these some are from the pen
of the celebrated Alexander Hendevsou, Samuel Rutherford, and John Adanison.
The work also bore the record of the unanimous approbation of the faculty of the
college of St Leonard in the university of St Andrews. Three years previous
to the publication of the ** Hebreas Linguas Institutiones,'' Row was by the
influence of the famous Andrew Cant appointed one of the ministers of
Aberdeen. In 1643, he published a Vocabulary of the Hebrew language,
which he dedicated to his new patrons, the town council of Aberdeen. This
mark of respect \i-as rewarded by the following ordinance of that body : ** 20th
September, 1643, the counsell considering the panes taken be Mr John Row
in teaching the Hebrew tongue, and for setting forth ane Hebrew dlctionar,
and dedicating the same to the counsell, ordanes the thesaurar to delivar to the
said Mr John Row for his paines four hundreth merk Scotts money.**' In his
ofiioe of minuter of Aberdeen, Row supported the principles of his coadjutor
Andrew Cant, and was with him highly obnoxious to the more moderate party
of the presbytorians, and to those who still favoured episcopacy. Tlie amusing
annalist Spalding, who attended his prelections, loses no opportunity of hold-
ing him up to ridicule or detestation ; and language seems sometimes to fail
him for the expression of his horror at Row*s innovations. ** One of the
town's ofiioers," he relates, ** caused bring a bairn to the lecture lesson,
where Mr John Row had taught, to be baptized ; but because this bairn was not
brought to him when he was baptising some other bairns, he would not give
baptism ; whereupon the simple man vm» forced to bring back this child un-
baptiaed. The wife lying in chi]d.bed, hearing the diild was not baptised, was
so angry, that she turned her face to the wall, and deceased immediately through
plain displeasure, and the bairn also ere the mom ; and the mother, and hef
bairn in her oxter, were both buried together. Lamentable to see," wTibes the
indignant chronicler, *' how the people are thus abused !** In 1644, Row >rea
chosen moderator of the provincial assembly at Aberdeen ; and the next year,
on the approach of Montrose at the head of the royalist forces, he, with Cant
and other *' prime covenantors," sought refuge with the earl Marischal in the
castle of Dunottar. In 1649, the Scottish parliament appointed a committee to
remonstrate against the contemplated muider of Charles I., and Row wbm one
of six clergymen nominated to act with the oommittee. In 1651, a commis-
sion, consisting of five colonels from the army of Monk, visited the king^s col*
lege of Aberdeen, and, among other acts, deposed the principal, Dr Guild ;

1 The learned editor of '* Memorials of the Family of Row," (a work to which we are in-
dehted for much of the information given in the following memoir} erroneou$ly calls John
How the ^deit son o{' his father.

> Council Register of Aberdeen, vol. 111. p. 771.

WILLIAM ROXBURGH.

205

and the next year. Row mrat chosen his tucoettor. He seems to have filled the
principars chair with much credit; he maintained strict discipline^ and added to
the buildings of the college, while his own learning extended the reputation of the
university. On the 8th October, 1 6 56, being a day appointed for a public thanks-
giving, he preached in Westminster abbey before the parliament, and his ser-
mon was afterwards printed by their orders, under the title of '* Man's Duty in
magnifying God's Work.** On the Restoration, principal Row lost no time in
paying his court to the new authorities. In 1660, he published at Aberdeen,
** ^ujC»^*9Tm B«Ktf/7k/xn, ad Carolum II. Carmen :* a work which was laudatory
of the king, and abusive of Cromwell, who is styled ** Trux vilis vermes,*' being
the anagram of ** O vile cruel worm" (Oliver Cromwell) latinized. This pane-
gyric, however, availed him little. Some of his works, which contained reflec-
tions on the royal family, were taken from the college, and burned at the cross
of Aberdeen by the hands of the hangman : and in 1661, Row resigned his of-
fice of principal. He soon after established a school at Aberdeen, and lived for
some years on the scanty emoluments derived from this source, eked out by
charitable donations. Thereafter he retired to the family of a son-in-law and
daughter in the parish of Kinellar, about eight miles from Aberdeen, where he
spent the remainder of his days. He was interred in the diurchyard of the
parish, but no monument marks his grave. Besides the works we have men-
tioned, and some othen which seem to be lost, principal Row wrote a continua-
tion of his father's History of the Church, which is extant in the Advocates'
library, under the title of " Supplement to the Historic of the Kirk of Scot
land, from August, anno 1 6 37, and thenceforward to July, 1639 ; or ane Hand-
ful of Goates Haire for the furtliering of the Building of the Tabernacle.: a
Short Table of Principnll Things for the promoving of the most excellent His-
toric of this late blessed Work of Reformation, in the hands of such as are em-
ployed therein by the General Assemblie ; written by Mr John Row, Ministei
at Aberdene.** Mr James Row, minister of Monivaird and Strowan, a younger
brother of principal Row, is well known to the curious in Scottish literature, as
the author of the celebrated " Pockmanty Sermon," preached in Saint Giles's, in
1638, and which has been lately reprinted under the titles of ''The Red-
Shan Ws Sermon ;" and ** A Cupp of Bon- Accord."

ROXBURGH, WiLUAK, a physician and eminent botanist, was born at Un-
derwood in the parisli of Craigie, on the 99th June, 1759. His family was
not in afHuent circumstances, but. they nevertheless contrived to give him a
liberal education. On acquiring all the learning which the place of his nativity
aflbrded, he was sent to Edinburgh to complete his studies, which were exdu«
sively directed to the medical profession. After attending for some time the
various daises at the university necessary to qualify him for this pursuit, be r^
-eived, while yet but seventeen years of age, the appointment of surgeon^s ninlo
jn board of an East Indiaman, and completed two voyages to the East in that
capacity before he had attained his twenty-first year. An offer having been
now made to him of an advantageous settlement at Madras, he accepted of it,
and accordingly established himself there. Shortly after taking up his resi-
dence at Madras, Mr Roxburgh turned his attention to botany, and particular-
ly to the study of the indigenous plants, and other vegetable productions of the
East, and in this he made such progress, and acquired so much reputation that
be was in a short time inrited by the government of Bengal, to take charge of
the Botanical gardens established there. In this situation he rapidly extended
his fame as a botanist, and introduced to notice, and directed to useful purposes
many previously unknown and neglected vegetable productions of the country. Mr
Roxburgh now also became a member of the Asiatic Society, to whose Transactions

206 MAJO&^UINBIUa. WUJAM BOT.

ha contributed, firom UnM to tima» nianf TtUnble jfKfun^ and
one of UBgulac intoiMt oit. tb« laooft ioMd, ima which a mIohc caUad he
]ak»» u iiiadA, which it Urgely utad aa a. aobitttiila for ooehiiMaL Thia fafper,
which waawrittaa in 1789|.exdtodinudi attaation at di» UiM^at OBoa ftoai
the ahility it diaplayed, and fram. th« nirmaaraafwr of ita eoBtainiaf aono
hiaU whioh lad to & grool iaigrofOBMiit oa tho oolanr yaoUad hy tha laaca

foiOGL

la 1707, Mr RoKbuE|j^ paid a. riiit ta hia aativa coontry, and MtUBod
(harioi; been la the nwon tana mamedj ta Baagal, ia 17S9^ iriua h«r
xoMmad hii botaaical studiaa with iacroaaad ardour aad larraawag wirwai la
1805. ho aeoeived the gold medal o£ thaSodety for the PMBMtiea of Art% far
a aoriea of highly kitereitlag and vahiaUa aoainainfeatiflBa ea the aibjaHof tho
producaoni of the Eait. Ue bad agaia, ia thia year, lataaraed to Eag^aad.
aad «aa now reaiding nt C!helaea» but ia Tosy iadifiesoni heakh ; ho. hwaoia r .
once moio proceeded to Bengal, and coatiiaied ia hia OMatonhip of Iho Bolaai*
cal Gardent there till 1803. whoa, bcokea dowa ia coaatitutioa, he iaally r^
tamed to hia nature oountry.. In thia year bo vaeeiTdi a aoaaad gold aaadal
iba a oommunicatioa on the ipowth of txeea ia ladia^ aad oa the Slab of Ma^p^
1814.. waa pieiented with a third, to die preaeaoo of a haga aiiiaitly iriiwh ho
perMually attendod. by the duka of Norfolk, wha waa thoa pteiidaat of tho
Society of Artu

Soon after reoeinog thia laat honounUo taatimoay of tfio high saapaet ia
which hit tabntaivere beld^ Mr Roxburgh repaired ta EdiidiargK wheva ho
died, on the 10th of April in the fbUowing year, ta the &7th year of hia age.,
learing behind him a raputatioB of ao OEdLiary «dauaelar Ahe ability, aad Ibr a
laudable ambition to oonfor l>enefiti oa mankiad. by addiag to» Iheia oawfarta
and oonYeniencea; which ol^ecla ha efieolad to ao JaopmktM ihlii eataat hy
many original and ingiaaioaa auggertiona»

ROT (Majob-Ge5BBAI.>. Wiluai^ a dialmgoiahod ptaetioal **Tii^iwwtfnin
aad antiquary, traa bom in Carluke parish. May 4« 1706. Jbha^ the £athei^ vho
waa bom April 15. 169r« at Milton-head, mnat bava been aa aetiaa and faitelU-
gent Bian. 7 we may judge firom the many refercacei made to hfaa by tfaa
heritors of the parish. He is.Tarious1y designated aa gardeaar« ttatat, ^« ta
Sir William Gordon, and to Charles Hamilton (Tordon. of HaUend|^ Joiia. the
grandfiither, aeema to have been aaooeeded ia oifiee Iqr hia aoa John. Tho
earliest notice of the cider John Roy ia Ia the ** RoU of poRaahla pwnftni ia
Carluke parish, 1995," and the entry there ia m thoM tetma n— «* Jo x^. aarvitor
to my Lord hollcral^, 00 • 19 . 04." The general, aad hia brothoK JaBKa» aftow
wards minister of Prestonpans. were ednoated partly at the abhool of their
natiTo parish, and partly at the frammar-aohool of Lanark, the latter hariag
been a bursar in Glasgow college on the foundation of the oouateaaof Forfar.
from 1787 till 1751^ A clmraoteriatie aneodote of Roy ia atUl oanenl^ Aaeld
womaoy a native of Carluk^ who had all her life been a aarvant at Lae^ eaad to
reUte with pride that, in her young dayi^ Roy came to Lee aa atteadaat ea great
men ; shortly afierwarda ho came agai% bat in a highee eAoe; after Ike lapae
of years, ho came a third time, and now he aat at the right hand of the kird !

The birthplaco of general Roy is accidentally marked in a ■M» g?iy» maaner.
The builduigs of Milton-heaA have long beoa deazed away» Aa old wiUov
that grew near the end of tho ateading. no longer able to hear the wei^ ^
ita awn armi^ bent under the bardei^ and now repeeaeata aa ardi eC hat pie-
porilons. The tree in tliie positioa contiaaaa to grow* aad ia ilaalf aa oli^aet of
interest; hot, marking aa it does the b^rthplaoe of aa eouaeat maa^itladDab^
worthy of uotico end preserratioa.

TOOMiS EUDDIMAN.

207

No neord iias been diKov«vedfif th0«ix|j career of general Bof. HeiraB
fiat iNDoaght into aotioe in 1746^ vIiob fa» wis wo^Hnftd fay goverament to
makfl «n aotual murmj ai Sogtiand. This antaoot and difflenlt duty be per.
foimed m « maiitorion aiaHier» aad gave tha world tlM veanU la wtet goes
lyiderihe jtaoMoftlia «l»iiko«C OanAerland'sMs^'* JJpoA tUs noa^ wfaish
is a veqr l«se shae^ tha attes of all asoartainaUa Jtonan eomps or statioBs
w«a aooarataljr and diatiaeily laid down. It was afterwards rednoed by
thogaaeria toawnaari^ under the titkaf «1Ih^ Brhamxe Septaatn-
4Muilii^'' Ire.

The first geodestio surrey ezocnted in England wss nadertakan wiUi tfao innae-
dtftta ol^jaot of estaUishiag«iaig«Boaie(krieal oonaeetioB betwaen (be obeerfstions
of Paris and Greenwiol^ in order to ^atanaiae -tlM differenee of longitude.
Tfais was eaEc e alcd byrgenesal B^ wbo began bis oparafioas by measuring a
baseof 27,404«BOtonlioaiMk>wfiaatl^mihesiramiaror 1784. .Amongst the
nuBmranB and valuable p^Mis ooatri batod to the TsansaotlonB of the Eoyol
Soeiety by goaoral Bo^ was aa aoonmt of tbese operations^ wbiob obtained
for bim iba Ck>pley medal. To tins paper was appoadod an aooonnt of tbe wwde
proposed to be Collowod m datormiiiing tlM xnktire aituatiooa of iba Greeowieb
and Paris «bseraitorie% -wludh led to the natter's being employed by loyal
oeafimaad to asoertafai this pdint by the meCbod thus saggestedy from aotoal
cxperimanL In obedieaea to ids aujasty*8 mandate, the general oom p ie tod an
sifffwdiagly oarieas, nccnrats^ and ekboeato set of teigoaometviaal ^Eperiawnta
and obiarration» to delanniaa the trae and ezaot iadtudo and toagitade <^ the
two obsenatOKiei^ illuatntod by tables osmpated firom aotnal aittisniminjiH ; to
enable bbn to aaoompUrii wJdob, he was futnisbed by Um icfaig with oeTeral
costly tngOBomatrioal insteuaMa*k General Koy presented an acooant of these
tateraekhig proo e edi ng s to the Boyid Booiety* and was emptoynd in euperin-
tondu« its publioaOon hi the Bocb^'k Transartimw, when he waa aeiaed wttb
an illnom whiob oarriad bha off ia two iiours. He died at his iioase^ Argyle
Streak iMdon, Jialy 1, 17iWu General Boy'k inTestigBtiofas laid the gnmnd-
work of Abe trigoncanetrieal survey «f the three kingdomsy wfakh is vtiU in
piogaeas. In the Histoiy of the Boyalfiodety by Weld <ia46)»it iB«Kpranly
stoted that Ibis survey waa oommeneed by general Boy in 1764. it wasuob-
je4|aent^ condneted, nnder the dh^eotion ixf the master general «f tim ovdaaneei
by eoloael WiUbua% aad «aptain, afterwards general Mudge^ cf the Boyal
Bngiaaenb nad Mr Xhdby, who had previously amisted goneral Aoy. Thiee
yean after his death» genend Boy ^ okborate watiqpaciBn ^mtk -mm published
at the expense of the Antiqaarian Society of X«ndao, under Ibe title ef ^'Mili-
tary Antiiaaitios of the Bomans hi Bdtain." Gewecal Bey w» deputy qa»ter-
mosteiwgenecal of his majesty's farces; auneyor of the 4Joasto md batteries;
ookmelof thedOthBogimantof Foot; F.BjB.,dbe.

BUD1>IMAN, TmsmAB, a oelebmted pUlolegist wnd Latin grammKriani was
bom In the BM>nth of Oeteber, 1574, to the parish of Boyndiey eeuuiy of
Baaft His totber, James Buddiman, was n veipeetabto farmer, uad was at the
pemad of his son's burth tenant of the ^sna of Bagg^ hi Banffiihire. He was
esteemed by bis neighbours as a man profoundly skilled in agriooltural matteiVf
and was besides greatly reapeoted for the banavolenee of bis disposition. He
was atroni^y attaohad to monarcby^nn attaohment whi^ be eviaoedin a re-
aazkable manner by bunluig into team oa £nt beaiing of the death Of Chaises
IL This ebalUtion of loyal isaling made a etreog impromen on his eon,
who witnessed it, and although be was then only in the tenth year t]f his age, it
isthoaght to have iafl u e nee d the opiaieas of his after lilie on eimilfur fraft>jeet8.
Young Buddiman conanenoed his initiatory cowrae otf leandng sA the parish

203

TnOMAS BTJBBIMAIY.

graminnx school of Boyniiie, wbich was then taught by a Mr George Morrison,
of whose attontion and skill in his profession his pupil erer after retained a
grateful and respectful recollection. In this seminary the subject of this me-
moir rapidly outstripped his fellows in claisical learning. The Metamorphoses
of 0?id early struck his fancy, and had the effect of inducing such a degree of
application to the acquisition of the language in which they are written, as
carried hiin far in advance of all the other scholars In tlie school. His master,
perceiving his ardour, allowed him to press on, abandoning all idea of restrain-
ing so forward a spirit to- the slow march of those associated with him in the
study of classical learning.

The consequence of this assiduity and enthosiastio derotion to Roman liters,
ture, was an early and singular proficiency in its language. Of this young
Ruddiman himself felt so conscious, that when only sixteen years of age he left
his father^s house without giring any previous intimation of his departure, or
of its object, to any of the family excepting one sister, and proceeded to Aber-
deen to compete for the annual priie given at King's college of that city for
proficiency in classical learning. Previously to his setting out, his sister, to
whom he had confided his secret, slipped a guinea into his pocket ; but of
this, and of nearly all his apparel he was robbed by the way ; having been
met, and assailed at -a place called Starbrigs, by a band of gypsies who fint
plundered and then stripped him. This mishap, however, did not deter the
young enthusiast from proceeding on his mission. He raached Aberdeen,
though in a miserable plfght, competed for the priie, and carried it off.
Having obtained a bursary in the college by this success, he now took up his
residence in Aberdeen, and commenced his academical studies in November
1690, under professor William Black. His father, in the mean time, havings
heard whither his sen had gone, and for what purpose, hastened after him, and
had the satisfaction, on meeting with him, to find him surrounded with friends,
whom his youth and singular acquirements had already procured for him.

At the college of Aberdeen Mr Ruddiman pursued his studies with an ardour
and devotion which daily increased, and which at the end of four yean pro-
cured him the degree of master of arts. This honour, of which the young
scholar was extremely proud, was conferred on him on the S 1st June, 1694.
Amongst Mr Ruddiman*s fellow students at this period was the well-known
lord Lovatf whose earthly career was terminated on Tower Hill by the axe of
the executioner, at the distance of more than half a century afterwards. Of
tliis nobleman, the biographer of Ruddiman remarks^ that, when at college,
" he was at the head of every mischief.^*

On completing his academical course, Mr Ruddiman was engaged by Mr
Robert Young of Auldbar, in the county of Forfar, to assist the studies of his
son. He was still under twenty years of ugB, but his acquirements in classical
literature were far in advance of this period of life, as compared with the ordi-
nary progress of proficiency in others. While advancing the knowledge of his
pupil, Mr Ruddiman did not permit his own to remain stationary. He con-
tinued to study assiduously, and every day added to his acquirements in classic
lore.

During his residence at Auldbar, Mr Ruddiman heard of the death of the
incumbent schoolmaster of Lawrencekirk, in Kincardineshire, and thinking
this A favourable opportunity for advancing his fortunes, applied for, and oIh
tained the situation, partly through the interest of . Mr Young, and part>
]y through the influence of his own reputation for extraordinary learning. In
this situation, a sufficiently obscure one, he remained, still applying himself
with unabated zeal to the study of the classics, till the year 1699, when a

THOMAS BUDDHIAN.

209

rather singular occurrence opened up a wider field to hii ambition and hia
meritf.

The celebrated Dr Pitcainie of Edinburgh, happening to be detained for a
day in the village of Liawrenoekirky by the inclemency of the weather, asked
the hostess of the inn where he put up, whether she could not find him some
intelligent person who would partake of his dinner, and help, by his 'conrena-
tion, to divert the tedium of the evening. His landlady immediately suggested
the schoolmaster, Mr Ruddiman. He was accordingly sent for, and in the
course of the conversation which followed made so favourable an impression on
the Doctor, by the extent of his- acquirements, and t!ie judiciousness of his re«
marks, that the latter, before they parted, invited him to come to Edinburgh,
and promised him his patronage.

31r Ruddiman gratefully closed with the proposal, and repaired to tlie
metropolis in the beginning of the year 1700. On his arrival, his patron pro-
cured him employment in the Advocates' library as a sort of assistant librarian,
though for upwards of a year he had no regular or formal engagement in that
capacity. During this interval he employed himself in arranging books, copy-
ing papers, and making extracts from interesting worksL In 1701, Mr Rud«
diman married Barbara Scollay, the daughter of a gentleman of small estate in
Orkney, and in the year following, he was formally admitted, on the 3nd of
May, assistant librarian, with a salary of i^d, 6s. 8d. sterling per annum. B'u
diligence, learning, and steadiness of character, had already attracted Uie
notice, and called forth the approbation of his employers, who, as a token of
their sense of these merits, presented him with an extra allowance of fifty
pounds Scots, at the end of the year succeeding that of his appointment.
Mr Ruddiman now set himself seriously and earnestly to the task of improving
his circumstances by literary industry and diligence, and the situation he was
in eminently favoured such a design. He copied chronicles and chartularies for
the Glasgow univenity, which gave him constant and regular employment in
this way. He formed connexions with booksellers, and revised, corrected, and
added to the works which they were publishing, particularly those of a learned
character, and to all this he addbd the expedient of keeping boarders, whom
he also instructed in classical learning. The first work to which he is known
to have lent his assistance was Sir Robert Sibbald's '* Introductio ad Historiam
rerum a Romanis gestanim in ea Boreali Britannice parte quas ultra Murum
Ficticum est" He was next employed to revise '* The Practiques of the Laws
of Scotland," by Sir Robert Spottiswood, for which he received £5 sterling.
Mr Ruddiman*s active mind, and laudable desire of independence, suggested to
him &till anotiier means of increasing his emoluments. This was to commence
book auctioneer, a calling for which his habits and punnits peculiarly qualified
him, and he accordingly added it, in the year 1707, to his other avocations,
but confined himself, in the exercise of it, principally to learned works and
school books.

In the same year in which he commenced auctioneer, he published an edition
of Wilson's '* Aniipi Tranquillitaie Dialogus.^' To this work he added a new
preface, and subjoined a sketch of the life of Wilson, besides correcting
the numerous typographical errors of Gryphius of Leyden, by whom it was first
published in 1 543. His extraordinary and unwearying diligence enabled Mr
Ruddiman to present the world in 1709, with a new edition, with notes, of
another learned work. This was *' Johnstoni Cantici Solomonis Paraphrasis
Poetica,** which he dedicated, in a copy of verses, to his patron Dr Pitcairne, a
compliment which the latter acknowledged by prasenting the learned editor
with a silver cup, inscribed with the following couplet from Horace:

910

TH0MA8 KCDDIirAN,

Namlar et prfRi OUwiii^
Snpe m«io ifwalafaM TirtoiL

lllr Raddiman, hoivev«ry vrim not pennitted long to rijoioe in the poMesioD
of this elegant testimony of hie patron^ efteem for him. Hif houM was thor^
I7 after broken into by robben^ and the tllirer cup, with many other aitkrea
cafriOu On*

The reputation which the learned and acote grammanan had ac^hred by the
new editiona of the wocka jtnt named, was itill farther increased by that in which
lie next engaged. This was an edition of VirgiPk JEneid, as translated into
Seoltiili Terse by the eelebrated Gawin I>iaglai. To this work, iMA was pub-
lished by FVeebaim of fidinbnrgh, besides superintending and oorvecttng the
preis, he contributed a GloHary, explaining diillculC and obsolete words ; a
performance which bespeaks great depdi of reiearcfay soundneii of judgment,
an€ singular acutenen ^ perception. Mr Ruddiman^ modesty, ((or he was as
modeit as learned,) prevented him fW>m associaUng with the Glemory any kind of
notice which shenld point out to the pid>Uc that he was the anthor of It; bat a^
tersome time Mm fiict transpired, and oompUments poured in upon hkn fSrem
the moit eminent and learned men of the day.

A Tacancy happening- to occur abont this period m the grammar idiool of
Dundee, Mr Ruddiman, whose &me as a adiohur was now^ rapidly spreading
abroad, was inrited to become rector of that seminary ; but an adTanoe of ndary
luiTing been tendered him by the fbculty of adTocates to induoe him to xenadn,
lie accepted it, and declined the ofier of the magistrates of Dundee, although he
thereby sacriftosd his pecuniary interest to a ooosiderable amount, fbr the ad-
ditional nlary which was oonftrred upon him was stiff sbott of the amount of
emolunient which the rectordiip ti the Dundee gianuuar Mdiool wouM hare- pro*
duced to hiob

Still puming his literary la b o u rs with nnemittiug industry, he, fn 171 1,
assisted in preparing a new edition of tlM^ works of Dnimmend of Hawllhamden,
printed by Watson of Edinburgh, and innnediatefy after lent his aid to Aber-
croraby, to publish his ** Martial AehterementB of the Soots Nation." Mr Rnd-
diman next derofiid himself to philological pursuits ; and in 1713, pubUAed n
new edition of the Latin Vocabulary of John Forrest, wM impruvumnH. In
the year following, he published that work which filled op the measure of hit
fiinie» This was his *^ Rudimenta of the Latin Tongue ;" a woric which he fived
to see go through n^ less than fifteen editions. It Is almost unnecessary to add,
that it immediately supplanted all these of a similar kind which had been pre-
TJously in use, every one of whidi was tAnsnkaif defective r and that it has
remained in extensive use throughout th« gtammar schools of Soodand ever

Shortly after this, Mr Ruddiman was employed by Freebaim to edit '* Bbcha^
nani Opera Omnia," now collected fbr the fiist time. To this work, which was
published in 1715, in two toIs. folio, he contributed large annotations, in ivhich
he treated freely both the character and political prinriples of the author; a pro-
cedure which raised him a host of enemies, and inTolved him in & litigated and
annoying controversy. This hostility awumed in one instance the formidable
shape of a ** Society of the Scholars of Edinburgh, to yindacate that incom-
parably learned and pious Author (Buchanan) from the Caluranie of Mr Thomas
Ruddiman." This association, however, though It induded na less dian four
professors of the university, never made any progress in their proposed ** Vin-
djcation," and finally dissolved, without accomplishing any thing, although they
frequently and confidently promised the world a new edition of Buchanan, with
n confutation of Ruddiman.

ISQUAB EUDHXIAUN.

:i;ii

In 1715« Mr Ruddiman added to hiiother aroentkxns i)iat of printer^ ad-
jnittiiig a younger brother of hia own, who had been bred to the buainett^ as a
partner of the oonoem. The iirit production of his press, was the jecond volinne
of Ahercromby's Martial Achievements. Amongst the Jeamed works of aota^
whieh he printed subsequently, were^ the first Tolume of '< Epistoke Begum 5co-
torumy" 1723, for which he wrote a preface; " Oridii Ezcerpta ox Metamor-
phosaon Libris/ containing English Notes, by Willymot and himself 1733 ;
Herodbn, 1734; Fan Priam «f his own GrammaticsB Latinm Instituiiones,
1735, which brought him a great accession of famo and profit ; and Fan Sa-
Cttnda of the same work. He also printed^ in 1733, ** A Dissertation upon the
Way of Teaehii% the Latin Tongue.''

In 1718, Mr Uuddiman took aa actire part in Ibrming a literary society — the
Sat, it is believed, which was established in £dinl>nrgli. It was originally com-
posed of the masten of the high school, but was soon joined by many of the most
eminent persons in the dty; amongst these was Mr Henry Home, afterwards
lord Karnes. Qf the proceedings of tins aociety, howerer, nothing is known,
as its records, if there erer were any, hare all disappeared.

It had long been an oliject of Mr Ruddiman's ambitioa, after he became a
printer, to obtain the appointment of printer to the unireasity, and he was at
iei^gth gratified with the office. In 1738, he was nominated, conjunctly with
James Daridson, printer to the college, during the lives of both, (so their patent
ran,) and during the life of the longest fiver. Freviously to this, vi&, in 1734,
Mr Ruddiman began to print the continuation of the Caledonian Mercury for
Rolland, who was then its proprietor ; but in 1739, he acquired the whole in-
terest in that paper, which was transferred to him in March of the year just
named, and continued in his famfly till 1773, when it was sold by the trustees
of his grandchildren.

Notmthstandlag the variety sad impertaaee 'of his numerous avocations,
Mr Ruddiman stiU vetaiaed the a^poiatmeat of Mistnnr libcariaa in the Advo-
cates* library, and never allowed any of these avocations to interfere, in the
smallest degree, with the fkithful and diligent discharge of the duties of that
office. He was still, however, up to the year 1730, but amistant-librarian, the
situation of principal kcefer heiag in tlhe peasemiea of Mr John Bpottiswood ;
but in the year named, his long and fiutfafid servms in the library were re-
warded by the chief appointment, on the death of Mr Spottiswood. In Mr
Ruddiman's cose, however, this promotion was entirely honorary^ Hor it was un«
accompanied by any additional salary*

Mr Ruddiman*s reputation as a Lattnlst now stood so liigh, ihat he was em-
ployed to translate public papers. Amongst tliese, he translated the charter of
the Royal Bank from English into Latin, before the seals were affixed to it ;
and also the city of Edinburgh*s ** Charter of Admiralty.^ His wealth, in the
mean time, was improring apace. All his undertakings succeeded with him,
and his diTigence and economy turned them to the best account He was in
the habit of making periodical estimates of his riches, which he entered In his
memorandum books. These slmw a gradual increase in his wealth, and discover
that it had amounted in 1736 to £1985 6s. 3d.

Amongst the last of his literary labours, was an elaborate preface, or rather
introduction, to Anderson*s '* Selectus Diplomahim et Kumitmatum Scotiad Thes-
aurus ;" an able and learned disquisition on various subjects of antiquity. Be^
ing now in the rixty-fifth year of his age, he ceased, for a time, after the comple-
tion of the work just spoken of, from every kind of Hterary employment ; and,
nearly at the same period, rerigned his half of the printing concern to his son, al-
lowing, however, his name to remain in the firm, in order to continue its crediL

212 ALKANDSR BUNCIKAN.

During the miniiier of 1745, Mr Ruddiman, to avoid the dangers of the re-
bellion, retired to the country, where he resided for several months, amusing
hiiuielf by literary pursuits. He afterwards prepared a Pan Tertia to his
GrammatictB Latinie, &a, but did not adventure on its publication, as he feared
the sale would not pay the expense. He subsequently, however, published an
abstract of this work, subjoined to what is called his Shorter Grammar, of which
he received, in 1756, the royal privilege of being exclusive printer. In 1751,
the venerable grammarian's sight began to fail him, and, under this affliction,
finding that he could no longer conscientiously retain the appointment of keeper
of the Advocates' library, he resigned it early in Uie year 1753, after a faith-
ful discharge of the duties of librarian in that institution of nearly lialf a cen*
tury. The latter years of Mr Kudd'man^s life were imbittered by a political
controversy, into which he ivas dragged by the vanity and pertinacity of Mr
George Logan, who persecuted him with unrelenting Tirulence in no less than
six different treatises* which he wrote against the political principles avowed in
Mr Ruddinian^s Annotations on Buchanan, particularly that which asserted the
hereditary rights of the Scottish kings. Mr Ruddiman died at Edinburgh on the
19th of January, 1757, in the eighty-third year of his age ; and his remains
were interred in the Greyfriars' church-yard of that city. A handsome tablet
to the memory of Ruddiman, was erected in 1806, in the New Greyfriars'
church, at the expense of his relative, Dr William Ruddiiuan, late of India.
It exhibits tlie following inscription : —

SACKED TO THE MEMORY
OV THAT CKT.KWBATBD SCHOLAB A50 WORTHY MAN ,

THOMAS RUDDIMAN, A. M.,

REBPaa OP THE AUVOCATIb' UaaARY VKASL FIFTY YEARS.

Bom, October, 1674, mthln three miles of the town of Banff ;

Died at Edinburgh, 19ih January, 1757,

In Ids eighty-third )ear.

Post obitum, lienefiicUi manenti 0lemaqtte virtus.
Noil metuIt.Stygllt ne nipiatar aqui^

RUNGIMAN, Albxandkr, a painter of considezable note, was the son of a
builder in Edinburgh, where he wm born in the year 1736. Having shown in
his earliest years a decided inclination for drawing, his father furnished him
with the proper materials ; and while a mere boy, he roved through the fields,
taking sketches of every interesting piece of landscape which fell in his way.
At fourteen, he was placed under the care of Messrs John and Robert Norrie,
house*painters ; the former of whom used to adorn the mantle-pieces of the
houses which he was employed to paint, with landscapes of his oivn, which were
then deemed respectable productions, and of which many a specimen is still pre-
served in the houses of the old town of Edinburglu The youth devoted himself
entirely to his art " Other artists," said one who had been his companion,
** talked meat and drink ; but Runciraan talked hindscape.** About this time,
the academy for rearing young artists was commenced at Ghtsgow by the
brothers Foulis, and Runciman became one of its pupils. He soon acquired
considerable local fame for his landscapes, but failed entirely to make a liv<
ing by them. Despairing of success in this branch of art, he commenced
history-painUng ; and in 1766, visited Italy, where he met Fuseli, whose wild
and distempered character matclied aptly with his own. He spent five yean in
Rome, assiduously studying and copying the Italian masters ; and in 1771, re*

ATJiXANDER BUNCIMAN. 213

turned to his natire coontry, with powers considerably increased, while his
taste, formerly OYer-luxuriant and wild, had experienced a corresponding im-
proTement Just at that time a Tacancy had occurred in the mastership of a
public institution, called the Trustees* academy ; and the place, to which was
attached a salary of X 120, was ofi^red to and accepted by Runciman. Being
Uius secured in the means of bare subsistence, he applied his vacant time to his-
torical painting, and produced a considerable number of specimens, which,
though not destitute of faults, were regarded with much favour, not only in hit
native country, where native talent of this kind was a novelty, but also in Eng-
land, where several of them were exhibited. Among the productions of Runci*
man may be mentioned, Macbeth and Banquo, in a landscape ; a Friar, in a
landscape ; Job in Distress ; Samson strangling the Lion ; Figure of Hope ;
St Margaret landing in Scotland, and her Marriage to Malcolm Canmore in
Dunfermline abbey ; Christ talking to the Woman of Samaria ; Agrippina
landing with the Ashes of Germanicus; the Princess Nausica surprised by
Ulysses ; Andromeda ; Sigismunda weeping over the Heart of Tancred ; the
Ascension (in the Cowgate episcopal chapel, Edinburgh) ; the Prodigal Son
(for which Ferguson the poet was the study); and the paintings in Ossian^s
Hall at Pennycuik. The work last mentioned was the chrf dTceitvre of Run-
ciman, and is allowed to be one of no small merit, though not exempt from his
usual faults. The design ^vas his own, but was only carried into effect through
the liberality of Sir John Clerk of Pennycuik, the representative of a family
which has been remarkable throughout a oentivy for talent, enlightened views,
and patronage of men of genius. The principal paintings are twelve in num-
ber, referring to the most striking passages in the work called Ossian's Poems.
The task was one of no small magnitude, but the painter dreamt of rivalling
the famed Sistine Chapel, and laboured at his work with only too much enthu-
siasm. In consequence of having to paint so much in a recumbent posture, and
perhaps denying himself that exercise which the physical powers demand, he
contracted a malady which carried him slowly to the grave. He died, October
31, 1765, dropping down suddenly on the street, when about to enter his
lodgings.

Runciman was remarkable for candour and simplicity of manners, and pos-
sessed a happy talent for conversation, which caused his company to be courted
by some of the most eminent literary men of his time. Hume, Robertson,
Kames, and Monboddo, were among the number of his frequent visitors. But
his real worth and goodness of heart were best known to his most intimate
friends, who had access to him at all times. Nor was he less remarkable for
his readiness in communicating information and advice to young artists, in or-
der to furtlier their improvement in the arts. His pupil, John Brown, has
passed the following judgment upon his merits as a painter : — ** His fancy was
fertile, his discernment of character keen, his taste truly elegant, and his con-
ceptions always great Though his genius seems to be best suited to the grand
and serious, yet many of hu works amply prove that he could move with equal
success in the less elevated line of the gay and the pleasing. His chief excel-
lence was composition, the noblest part of the art, in which it is doubtful
whether he had any living superior. With regard to the truth, the harmony,
the richness, and the gravity of colouring, — ^in that style, in short, which is the
peculiar characteristic of the ancient Venetian, and the direct contrast of the
modern English school, he ivas unrivalled. His works, it roust be granted,
like all those of the present times, were far from being perfect ; but it was
Runciman's peculiar misfortune ^ that his defects were of such a nature as to
be obvious to the most unskilful eye ; whilst his beauties were of a kind, whidi

214 ALEXANDER SUSSELL— WUXUIT RUSSELL.

&w have luffidant tiat« or knowledge of Ae axi to diaoetu, far iesB to ap«
predate.

John BuBGiman, A J^veUier of the above^ waa alio A painter of seme note, and
pcoduoed, among other pieoea, Judith with the Head of Holofemes ; Ghriat
with hii Disciplet going to Rmmima ; King Lear and Attendants in the Storm ;
and the Palling down of the Nelhtfhow Port, nsually attributed te Alexander,
and which has the honour to be placed in the g;allery of the duke of Sntlier-
land. Of most of the pictures of both artists, engmviogs and etflhings have
been executed^ aome of the latter by themselrei.

RUSSELL^ AuBZAiTOBa, author of the Historj of Aleppo, was boea In £din.
burghy and reared for the medical .profession. After finishing hiaatudies in
the onirenitjr of that city, about the year 173it, he proceeded to London, and
soon after went to Aleppo, where he settled as physician to the English fiiotory
in 1740. The infiuenee of a neble and ngadeus c h a r sfet er was here aoon fait,
and Mr Eussell became in time the moat influential character in the pboe :
eren the pasha hardly lenteied upon any proceeding of importance without con-
sulting htm. A£ker jsasidii^ there for a considerable time, during which
he wrote his History of Als^po, he returned to his natire country, and, eettling
in London, soon aognired an extenaiTe and lucratire practice. His work was
published there in 1755. He also contributed aereral rahiable papers to the
Boyal and Medical societies. This excellent individual died in London,
Nerember 95, 176&

I)r Russell was one of a faouly of seran eons, aH of whom acfuiied the
respect of the world. His yoanger brother, Patrick, auooeeded him as pbysi«
cian to the factory at Aleppo, and was the author of a Treatise on the F^gue,
published in 1791, and Descriptions of Two Hundred Fishes collected on the
const of Coromandel, which appeared in 1803, in tsro volumes folio. Dir
Patrick Russell died July S, 1805, in his 79th year.

RUSSELI^ WiLUjm, a historical and mlsoellaneous writer, was the elder son
of Alexander Rnssetl and Christian Ballantynej residing at MTindjdoofli, in the
county of Selkirk, when he was bom in the year 174L At the neighhouriiy
school of Innerleithen, he acquired a slender knowledge of Latin and Greek,
and, having xemoYod in 1756, to Edinbuigh, be then studied writing and
arithmetic for about ten months. This conyleted the amount of his school
education. He jsew commenced an appBantioeship of five years, under Messes
Martin and Wothenpooo, bookselleii and printen, durii^ whkh period ho
added conttderably to his stock of knowledge by priiate study. At the end of
his apprenticeship, he published a selection of modem pootry, which was
thought judicious, and helped te extend the leputation of Gray and Slienstone
in his native oountry. In 1762, while workiiy as a joomeyman printer, he
became a member of a literary assomation styled the Miaoallaneous Secie^, of
which Mr Andrew Dalaell, afterwards professor of <2reek In the Edinbugh
nniTersity, and Mr Robert Listen* afterwards Sir Robert, and t^ln^nrwfldffr at
Constantinople, were also members. To these two gentlemen ho aabmitted a
translation of Crebillon's "Rliadamisthe et Zenobi^** vhidv after fheir xeTisaly
wae presented to Garrich, but rejected. Not long after he aeems to have
formed an intimacy with Patriek lord fiUbank* who invited him to spend aome
time at bis seat in East Lothian, and enconn^d him in tho proaeeution of
a literary career. He therefore relioqniebcd his labours as a jurinter; and after
spending a oonuderable time in studjr at bis ikther'a houao in the «oanbgrf
let out, in Hay 1767^ for London. Here be was disappdnted In hw beat
hope^ and found it necessary to seek subsistence bb corrector of the press to
hlr Strachan, the celebrated printer. While jmsecntii^ this employment^

\7ILIIAM RirSSlXLb

215

he published sevenl etnya in proee and Tene, Imt witlloet Sxiog th» attentfeo
of the world in any eminent degcee. Hb **8e ii iiii u e«tai Tmlet '* ap p ea red In
1T70; hii ^'Fahlee, Sealiawntal and Rond," and tranaladon of Thonaa^a
** Emuy on the* ChaneBer of Woowb,^ in 1773 ; and hU *« Julia," a poetical
Rooanoe, in 1774. Other pieeea weie aeallefed throughool tlio petiodiod
woiki. Hn ineoMa ifaa nevetAden such aa to enable faim to giro up hia oflloe
at Hn preiay and depend upon hia pen fat wibntenee^ After an unaueeeaaftl
HialoTf of America^ he piwduced, in 1779^ the linlr two Tolnmes of the worii
by whicfr alone hir n«ne has leev reaened ftwn obKnibn — ** Tho Hiitory el
Bfodem Europe ^ the three leaiaintng fohnnee appeared in 1784.

Ttaa haa erer sinoe been veckened » naefid asdf moat oonvenient work on
the flubject which it treatu ** It poaaowot,*^ nya Dr Irring, with wheae opmion
we entirety oancur, ** great raerft, as a popular riew of a very extensire period
of history; 'Fhe author diaplaye no ineonsideaable judgment in the selecdon of
his leading- uieidenta, and in the general arrangement of hia materials ; and he
seems to Imre studied the philosophy of history with assiduity and sueoem. His
narraUTe ia always free from languor ;. and hia liberal reflections are cooToyed
in a lirely and degant style.** Dr Irving statta that, in the composition of each
▼olunre of this booJr, the author ^nt twelve monthSi He eicned the history
with the peaee of Paris in 1769 ; and it has been oonlamed to tiie dose- of the
reign of George IV., by Vr Goote and* other writers.

Mr Russeli^s itadiev were interrupted lor s while- hi 178^, by a voyage to
Jamaica, which he undertoolt for tho porpoae of reoorering some money left
there by a deceased brothen In 1787, he mairied Bliss 9cott, and retired to
a fiurra called Knottyhohn, near Langholm, where he spent the remainder of
his daya in an elegant cottage on* the banks of the Esk. In 1799, he reeetved
the degree of doctor of bwa ftom St Androwv (wd hi the* enmmg year
published tiie first two volomea cf a * History ef Ancient Buropoi" which
ia cbaracteriaed by nearly the same qualities aa the fonner work. He did
not livO) however, to eomplete tbia uadisrtaking, being out off by a sudden
atroko ef poby, DeeenAer 98^ 1798. He was buried in the ehuroh-yard
of the psaiab of WeeteiUrk. 1 hi» aeoaoqpliahed writer left • widow aad a
ttangtrter.

Dr Humefl wmanam ifi indaiktigabio indMsy. Before he had perfected
one scheme, another alwsya pseaented itself to his^ mind. Besides two complete
tn^ea, entidad " Pynkus," and «* Zenobia,** he left behind him an analyan
of Bryanf a Mythology, and the- fcifowhig unfinHhed produetlons : 1. The eail
of Stnflbrd, a tngody. 9. Modem Life* a comedy; 9. Tho Love Marriage,
an opem. 4» Human Happiness, a poem* intended to have been composed in
four hordes. 5. A Historkud and Philosophical View of the Progress of man*
kind iir tho knowledgo ef tiie Terraqneoua Qlobe. 6. The History of Modem
Europe, Part IIL from the Peace of Paria in 1763, to the general padfteation
in 178a. 7. The History of Englaud from the beginning of the reign of
George III. to the conclusion of the American war. In the composition of the
laat of these worka he was engaged at the time of his death. It ivas to be rem-
prised in three volumes 8vo, fixr the copyright of whidi Mr Gadell had tUpu-
hited to pay seven hundred and fifty pounds*

** Dr Hussen," says one who knew him,' ** without exhibiting the graces of
polished hf^, waaan agreeable companion, and possessed a considerable fund of
genend knowledge, anid a aeal for literature and genius which approached to

J Mr Aleiander Chalmers, in his General Biographical DicUonarj--- «»»^. Wii.MAai

RUSISLL.

216

JOHN RUTHSRFOBD.— SAMUXIi BUTH£BK)BD.

enthuBiaim. In all hii undertakingt he was ttricdy hoaourabley aad doaexred
tlie confidence reposed in him by bis employen."

RUTHERFORD, JoHsr, a learned physician of the eighteenth century, ivaa
the son of the reverend Mr Rutherforid, minister of the pariah of Yarrow, in
Selkirkshire, and was born, August 1, 1695. After going through a classical
couTM at the school of Selkirk, and studying mathematics and natural philoso-
phy at the Edinburgh university, he engaged himself as apprentice to a surgeon
in thai city, with whom he remained till 17 16, when he went to London. He
there attended the hospitals, and the lectures of Dr Douglas on anatomy, Audr^
on surgery, and Strother on materia medica. He afbrwards studied at Leyden,
under Boerhaare, and at Paris «nd Rheims; reneiring from the uniTersity of
the latter city his degree of M. D. in July, 1719.

Haring, in 1721, settled as a physician in Efinburgh, Dr Rutherford was
one of that fraternity of able and distinguished men,* — consisting, besides, of
Monro, Sinclair, Plummer, and Innes, — uho established the medical school,
which still flourishes in the Scottish capital. Monro ha H been lecturing on
anatomy for a few years, when, in 1735, the other gentlemen above mentioned
began to give lectures on the other departments of medical science. When the
profesiorships' were finally adjusted on the death of Dr Innes, the chair of the
practice of medicine fell to the share of Dr Rutherford. He continued in that
honourable station till the year 1765, delivering his lectures always in Latin,
of which language it is said he had a greater command than of his own. About
the year 1748, he began the system of clinical lectures; a most Important im*
provement in the medical course of the university. After retiring, in 1765,
from his professional duties, Dr Rutherford lived, highly respected by all the
eminent physicians who had been his pupils, till 1779, when he died in the
eighty-fourth year of his age. This venerable person, by his daughter Anne
Rutherford, was the grandfather of that eminent ornament of modem litera-
ture, Sir Walter Scott

RUTHERFORD, Samtbl, a celebrated divine, ji-as bom about the year
1600, in the parish of Nisbet, (now annexed to Cniling.) in Roxburghshire,
where his parents seem to have been engaged in agricultural pursuits. The
locality and circumstances of his early education are unknown. He entered, in
1617, as a student at the university of Edinburgh, where he took his degree of
master of arte in 1631. Nothing has been lecorded of the rank he held, or the
appearances he made as a student, but they must have been at least respectable ;
for at the end of two years, we find him elected one of the regents of the col-
lege. On this occasion, he had three competitors ; one of them of the same
standing with himself, and two of them older. Of these, Mr Will, a master
of the high school, according to Crawford, ia his history of the university,
" pleased the judges best, for his experience and actual knowledge ; yet the whole
regente, out of their particular knowledge of Mr Samuel Rutherford, demon-
strated to them his eminent abilities of mind and virtuous dispositions, where-
with the judges being satisfied, declared him successor in the profession of
humanity.** How he acted in this situation, we have not been told ; nor
did he continue long enough to make his qualifications generally apparent, be-
ing forced to demit his charge, as asserted by Crawford, on account of some
scandal in his marriage, towards the end of the year 1625, only two yean after
he had entered upon it. What that scandal in his marriage was, has never
been explained ; but it is presumed to have been trifling, as it weighed so little
in tiie estimation of the town council of Edinburgh, the patrons of the univer-
sity, that they granted hira " ane honest gratification at his demission ;" and at
St subsequent period, in conjunction with the presbytery, warmly solicited him

I ~^

\

SAMUEL RUTHSRFORD. 217

to become one of the niinisten of the cily, portiottlarly with a riew to bit being
appointed to the divinity chair in the uniTertity, to loon as a racancy ihould take
place ; and they were disappointed in their riews with regard to hiniy only by
the Toioe of the general assembly of the diurch, which appointed him to St An-
drews. Reliered from the duty of teaching oUiers^ Mr Rutherford seems now
to hare deroted himself to the study of divinity under Mr Andrew Ranuay,
whose prelections, it is not improbable, ho frequented during the time he acted
as a regent in teaching humanity. Theology, indeed, in those days, was con-
joined with erery part of education. This was particularly the case in the col-
lege of Edinbuigh, where the principal, erery Wednesday, at three o'clock, de-
livered a lecture upon a theological subject, to the whole of the students, aaseni-
bled in the common hall. The students were also regularly assembled every
Sunday morning in their several class-iooms, along with their regents, where
they were employed in reading the Scriptures ; after which they attended with
their regents the public services of religion ; returned again to the college, and
gave an analysis of the sermons they had heard, and of the portion of Scripture
they had read in the morning. By these means, their biblical knowledge kept
pace with their other acquirements, and they were insensibly trained to habits
of seriousness and devotion* In this manner were all our early reformezs educat*
ed ; and though they spent less time in the theological class, properly so called,
than is generally done in modem times, judging by the effects that followed their
administrations, as well as by the specimens of their works that yet remain,
they were not less qualified for their work, than any of those who have suo-
ceeded them. When, or by whom Mr Rutherford was licensed to preach the
gospel, has not been recorded ; but in the year 1697, be was settled pastor of
the parish of Anwoth, in the stowartry of Kirkcudbright Anwoth, before
the Reformation, had been s dependency on the monastery of St Mary's Isle ;
but was united quoad taera to Kirkdale and Kirkmabreck, and the three
parishes were under the ministry of one clergyman. In consequence of ** this
most inconvenient union," the people of Anwoth had sermon only every alter-
nate Sabbath. It was now, however, di^oined from the other parishes, and
B place of worship had been newly buUt for their aooommodation ; which,
though the parish baa erected • modefn and more elegant diwchy is still
presenredy and regarded, for the sake of the flnt occupant, the subject of
ibis memoir, with a kind of religious Teneration. The disjunction of the
parishes had been principally eflectod by the exertions of John Gordon of Ken*
mure, afterwards created viscount Kenmure, who had selected the celebrated Mr
John Liringstone to occupy it Circumstances, however, prevented that ar-
rangement from taking effect ; and ** the Lord," says Livingstone in his me-
moirs, '* provided a great deal better for them, for they got that worthy servant
of Christ, Mr Samuel Rutherford." Of the manner of his settlement, we know
no particulars; only that, by some means or other, he succeeded in being settled
without acknowledging the bishops, which was no easy matter at that time.
Perhaps no man ever undertook a pastoral charge with a more thorough con-
viction of its importance than Rutherford ; and the way had been so well pre-
pared before him, that he entered upon it with great advantagei, and his eodea-
voun were followed by very singular effects. The poiverful preaching of Mr
John Welsh, aided by his other labours of love, had diffused a spirit of religion
through all that district, which was still vigorous, though he had left Kirkcud-
bright seventeen years before.

Rutherford was accustomed to rise every morning at three o'clock. The
early part of the day he spent in prayer and meditation ; the remainder he de«
voted to the more public duties of his calling, visiting the sick, catechising his

218

SAMUEL RirrHERFORD.

floek, and inilracliiif (iieiii> in a pi'ograi firom houte to houia " Tfaey irare
the cauM and objecto," he^ iirf»nM tiv, '^ of hi* toan, care, fear, and daily
pnynn; Ha laboured among' tlieni early and late ; and my witneM,*^ he do-
dare* t4^ tliem, ^St- above, tliBt yoarhoaren wonld be two hearent to me, and
tlio salvation iif yon all, at two- aalvatlona to me^"' Nor were bii labours con-
fined to* Anwetlw ** Ho was,**' ssFye Liringetone^ ** a great stroTigthener of all
the CMiHans in* durt oounlry, ivho- Ihid been the flruiti of the miniaCry of Mr
John WeUh, the tmie he had been al ttirkcudbright ;* and the^ iiiiole coontry,
we ato told' by Bfr M*W«rd; acoounled theauelvea his paiiieaUur flock.

I» tiieinonlh of Jmmt 1639, Mr Hnthetlbrd waa bereared of hia wife, after
ao illneet of upwnrda of thirteen monUit, when they had been yet scarcely
five yearr imnsiudt Her diae a a e §m w» to have been atiended wiUi serere^ pain,
and he^ appeasa to haw beeii> muGli ailbeted by her suffimnga; ** My wife,** he
o b ae a res in one- of Me-lettei*, '^ie atill in ezeeeding great tonnent, night and
day. Pny for ut^ ftir ny liA^ iwi never so weariaome to me; God hath filled
mo wMt gall and' woianveod ; bat I believe (ivhioh holds up my head above the
iiti i) it ia good for »vmm that bo bear the yoke in his yoakh." Her death
■eoBBo to have- groally d iitiew a d ' Mm, and^ though he nowhere iv hia eorret-
p o nde ne e venturea to«introdneo*the subject directly, he frequently alhiderto it in
tenaeol t h e deopea fc teBdemesa. Ho was himself afiUcted, at the thno of his wife's
death ; with* a* fovorwhidi lasted for thirteen woeha, and which left him at Inst in
a^aMo of such deWiity, that it waa l^ng before' he could- perform tho^ duties of
Ma calikig. At this period hia widowed mother lived with him, and for a time
pvohaMy managed hia fiMnily aflhhn. She too, however, dfed beforo he left
Anwoth in ld36. Iv the* montii* of September, 1694, Mr Rutherford lost his
grantr patron, John Qoadon', who had been created in the previous year Wsoount
ol Kennmro, and'a iteim waa noW' brooding' over him which wasr soon to drive
Mm from MretatloM* at AbwoiIh Ho* even went the length, of allowing them
their own choiee' of any man, if dmy would ovoid Rutherford, who intresled
them to try tho Lord if they had wammt of him to seek no man in the world
but aam only when there are choieo'of good men to bo had The see of Gal-
loway in tho^ moav tin» beeame vacant by the death* of Lamb^ who waa sueoeed-
od by SydaeafiP, bMofr of Dioehin, an\Annihian, and a man of thv most intoler^
ant dispoaition. ThW appointment gave a new turn to afliiirs in that quar-
ter. A peieon of sentimenti altogether opposite to thoee of tlw people of
Kirkcndhright, wna foivei^ upon* them, wfaHe their dd and vriuable pastor wsa
forbidden Uie oserciso' of any part of hia ofilee; Nor did Rutherford escape.
Ho had been summoned beforoth^ldgh conraiiasionors in the year 1630, at the
instance of a pmtflgate pavMn in hie parish. Sydaerfl; bishop of Galloway,
had erected a high oomraiBsion* court within his own dfoeese, before which
Rmherford was calied, and deprived of his oflfeo in 1696. This sentence was
imasodialoly oonfirmed by tiie- high commissiov at Edinburgh, and he wai sen-
ten«ed boforo Hie^ 90th«of August to confin« himself wiAin the town of Aber-
deen dli it riiottld bo tbo^ king*^ pleorare to relieve him. The crimes chaiged
agninat Mm wevw, pveacMngngainat the Atttdea of Perth, and writing against the
ArmsniaoB. The tMse- allowed htm did not permit of his visiting hir friends or
Ma fioola at AnwoHi'; buti he*paid a visit to Darid Dhskson at Irvine, whence
ho* wreto, " bting on Ma journey to Christ's paUice at Aberdeen,'* He arrived
at hia plaeo of confinement within the time specified ; being accompanied by a
deputotion from his parish of Anwoth. His reception in this great stronghold
o# Scottish opiseopacy waa not very gratifying. The learned doctora, as the
dergy of Aberdeen- were called par exetlience, hastened to let him feel their
inpeiiority^ and- to displajr the' loyalty of their faith by confuting the principles

SAMUEL RUTHSKFOBD.

M19

held by the penecuted «trangec. Tlie pulpito man •f wrywh w D -nwde to rii^
AgainU hiiny.and Dr JBanron, thtir principal laadery ^did not 'tcn^e ^ attedc
him penonaily for liia an&ipaihy to llie dactrinei «f AmiMiiai mud tha eere-
moniaa ; ** but thcee yakioga,^' Butharfoid a£l«rwaadt wrote, ** iaid him by, and
I hare not been jiaee troubled with bim." KelwIbslaDding the oxdneM ef
hia first reoeption, be floon became. popular inAbetdean, and bia centineiitB be-
ginning to gain ground, the doctoia iveEe indiieed to petition the oonrt that
he .might be removed alill iarther noath, er baniahed fran the kmgdom. Thia
iaat seema to hare been deteimined on, and a waauuat by the kia^ fet'wa i d e d
to Scotland to that e/%ct ; the execution of .which wsae only preveBfted by^the
establishment of Ihe Tables at Edinburgh, and the oosisaqiiant downfidl af opia-
copacy. In consequence of these morenBants, Butharfeed renlHaed to Isotv
Aberdeen,. and to return to his balored people at Anwelh, inithe'month of
February, lQ3d, having been absent from them rather aMMna than a yearisnd a
hal£ His flock iiad, in the mean time, auocaaifaUyaasiatadjdl the«lfoHB of
SydserfT to impose upon them a minister of hie own -ahoesiwg. It is not proba-
ble, bowerer, that .after this period, they enjoyed bhmIi .of .^oninistralioiia
of Rutherford, as we soon after find him actirely'empieTed in -them mtaapol ia
in forwasdiog, by his powerful and ImpressiYe 'doquanea, the great >wetk of re-
foonation which was then going so auceessfally ferwaad. On the renewal ef
the Gorenant, he was deputed, along with Mr Andieir Cant, to pvepaie the
people ii£ Glasgow for a eoncurrence in that eeJebrated. i bs< m t m nL He waa also
a delegate from the presbytery of Kirkcudbright to the general asMmbly, whMi
met in that city in Noremher, 1638, and waa by that court honourablyiassoUaicd
from the changes preferred against him by the bishops and the btfk coBuniisieB.
To the commission of this assembly applications ware made by the aas peial i en
of Edinburgh to have Mr Rutherford transported from Aanroth, to koione *of
the ministers. of that city, .and by the university of fit Andcaw»/to hare him
nonunated professor of divinity to the new eellege theae. To ihe latter situa*
tlou he was appointed by the commisBion, greatly against his own mind, and to
the no small grief of the people of Anwoth, who eautfced no raflbsiio Katain
him. The petitions of the parish of Anweth, and of the oomty of QaUaway
on this occasion are both praserred, and never .were snemhiMMUHiUeiasttmoBiaa
borne to the worth of an indtridual, or atrogger aridaiwift a^rded fif the high
estimation in which .his services were held. The public n sc essi t ies of the
church, however, .were supposed to be such as to eat asideall private eeasideniF*
tions, and Jlutherford proceeded to the sosae of his .n»w 4hitMS inOstober,
1639. On tlie I9th of that.month, having previo«Nly eatewd upon;dbis Idbown
in the college^ he was inducted by the presbytery as aoUeague to Mr Jlobeat
Blair in.the church of fit Andrews, which seems at this-time toihave been no v«ry
pleasing situation. In the days of MelviUe and Buahanan the uaiMnity was
the mostflourishii^ in the kingdom ; now it was become,. under the caae of Jba
bishops, the very nursery of superstition in worship, and eiror in doctrine :
<< but God,^' says one of Rutherford's pupils, " didao singularly second hia is-
defatigable pains, both in teaching and preaohing, that the uaiveauty forthwith
became a Lebanon,. out of which were taken e^ian for building tJie home of
God throughout the hind." In the Assembly tof 1640, Ruthecfocd was ia>
rohed in a dispute respecting private soriety meetio^, .which he defended
along with Messrs JElobert Bkir and David Dickaon, against 4be greater .part of
his brethren, who, under the terrors of independency, whioh in a short tims
overspread the land^ condemned them. It was probably owing to this dispute*
that two years afterwards he published. his '' Peaceable Plea fur Paul's Pitaby-
tery,'' an excellent and teroperoto treatiM ; equall]»remUe from anarcliy An

220

SAMUEL' RUTHEBFOBD.

the on« hand, and that unbending tyranny whldi presbytery has too often as-
sumed on the other. In 16 is), he received a cali to the parish of Wcct
Calder^ which he was not permitted to accept, thoug^h he seems to hare been
desirous of doing sa He was one of the commissioners from the general as-
sembly of the church of SootUnd to the Westminster assembly, where his ser-
vices were acknowledged by all parties to hare been of great importance. The
other commissioners from the general assembly of the church of Scotland, were
permitted to risit their native country by turns, and to report the progress
which ivas made in the great work ; but Rutherford never quitted his post till
his mission was accomplished. His wife (for he married the second time after
entering upon his charge at St Andrews,) and all his family, seem to have ac-
companied him. Two of his children, apparently all that he then had, died
while he was in London. He had also along with him as his amanuensis, Mr
Robert M^Ward, afterwards minister of the Tron church, Glasgow, and who was
banished for nonconformity at the Restoration. Mr Rutherford exerted himself
to promote the common cause, not only in the assembly, but by means of the
press, in a variety of publications, bearing the impress of great learning and
research, combined with dear and comprehensiTe riews of the subjects of which
they treated. The first of these was the " Due right of Presbytery, or a
Peaceable Plea for the Government of the Church of Scotland,** a work of great
erudition, and which called forth a reply from Mr Mather of New England ;
one of the best books that has yet been produced on that side of the question.
The same year he published " Lex Rex,** a most rational reply to a piece of
insane loyalty emitted by John Maxwell, the excommunicated bishop of Ross.
Next year, 1645, he published ** The Trial and Triumph of Faith," an admir-
able treatise of practical divinity ; and, in 1646, ** The Divine Right of Church
Government, in opposition to the Erastians." In 1647, he published another
excellent piece of practical theology, " Chrut dying and drawing Sinners,"
which was followed next year, though he had then returned to Scotland, by a
" Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist," written against Saltmarah, Dee, Town,
Crisp, Eaton, and the other Antinomians of that day. In 1649, he published
at London a ** Free Disputation against pretended Liberty of Conscience," par-
ticularly directed against the IndependenU. All of these productions are high-
ly honourable to the talents of the author, and place his industry and fertility
of mind in a singularly favourable point of view. Rutherford, in returning to
the former scene of his professorial and paitoral labours, must have felt agree-
ably relieved from the business and the bustle of a popular anembly, and hoped,
probably, that now he might rest in his lot Far otherwise, however, was the
case. He was, in January, 1649, at the recommendation of the commission of
the general assembly, appointed principal of the New college, of whidi he was
already professor of divinity ; and not long after, he was elevated to the rec-
torship of the university. An attempt had also been made, in the general as-
sembly of 1649, to have him removed to the university of Edinburgh, which,
Baillie says, ** was thought to be absurd, and so was laid aside." He had an
invitation at the same time to the chair of divinity and Hebrew in the university
of Hardewyrk in Holland, which he declined ; and on the 80th of May, 1651,
he was elected to fill the divinity chair in the university of Utrecht Thu ap-
pointment was immediately transmitted to him by his brother, Mr James
Rutherford, then an oflioer in the Dutch service, who, by the way fell into the
power of an English cruiser, and was stripped of everything, and confined
a prisoner in Leith, till he was, through the intervention of the States, set at
liberty. As he had, in consequence of this disaster, nothing but a verbal invi-
tation to offer, Rutherfor4> refused to accept it James Rutherford returned

SAMUEL BUTHERFORD.

221

diractly to Holland, and the magiitntes of Utredit, still hoping to succeed,
aent him back with a formal invitation in the end of the same year. Rutherford
eeenis now to have been in some degree of hesitation, and requested six months
to advise upon the subject. At the end of this period, he wrote to the patrons
of the college, thanking them for the high honour they had done him, but
informing them, that he could not think of abandoning his own church in the
perilous circumatainces in which it then stood.

The whole of the subsequent life of Samuel Rutherford was one con-
tinued ttniggle with the open and concealed enemies of the churdi of Scot-
land. Afler the HestoratioD, when, though inlirm in body, his spirit was
still alive to the cause of religion, he recommended that some of the Pro-
testers should be sent to the king, to give a true representation of the
state of matters in the church, which he well knew would never be done by
Sharpe, whom the Resolution party had employed, and in whom they had the
most perfect confidence. When the Protesters applied to the Resolution party
to join tliem in such a necessary duty, they refused to have any thing to do
with their more aealous brethren ; and when these met at Edinburgh to consult
on the matter, they were dispersed by authority, their papers seized, and the
principal persons .among them imprisoned, lliis was the first act of the
committee of estates after the Restoration ; and it was composed of the same
persons who had sworn to the covenant along with Charles ten years be-
fore. The next act of the committee, was an order for burning " Lex Rex,''
and punishing all who should afterwards be found in possession of a copy. Tlie
book was accordingly burnt, with every mark of indignity, at the cross of
Edinburgh ; a ceremony which Sharpe repeated in front of the new college, be-
neath Mr Rutherford's windows, in St Andrews. Rutherford was at the same
time deprived of his situation in the college, his stipend confiscated, himself con-
fined to his own house, and cited to appear before the ensuing parliament, on a
charge' of high treason. Before the meeting of parliament, however, he was
beyond the reach of all his enemies. He had long been in bad health, and
now the utter ruin that he saw coming on the church entirely broke his spirit.
Sensible that he was dying, he published, on the 86th of February, 1661, a
testimony to the Reformation in Great Britain and Ireland. This testimony oc-
cupies ten odavo pages, and is remarkably clear and particular. Of his lost
moments we can afibi-d space only for a very brief account. He seemed to en-
joy a singular rapture and elevation of spirit. ** I shall shine," he said ; " I
shall see him as he is : I shall see him reign, and all his fkir company with
him, and I shall have my share. Mine eyes shall see my Redeemer ; these
very eyes of mine, and none for me. I disclaim," he remarked at the same
lime, " all that ever God made me will or do, and 1 look upon it as defiled or
imperfect, as coming from me. But Christ is to me wisdom, righteousness,
lanctification, and redemption. Of the schisms that had rent the church," he re*
marked, ** those whom ye call Protesters are the witnesses i^ Jesus Christ. I
hope never to depart from that cause, nor side with those of the opposite party,
who have broken their covenant oftener than once or twice. But 1 believe the
Lord will build Zion, and repair the waste places of Jacob. Oh to obtain
mercy to wrestle with God, for their salvation T To hb only surviving child (a
daughter) he said, ** I have left you upon the Lord ; it may be you will tell
this to others, that the lines are fblJen to me in pleasant places. 1 have got a
goodly heritage. I bless the Lord that he gave me counsel.*' His last words
were, '' Glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuers land ;" and he expired on the
morning of the SOth of March, 1661, in the sixty-first year of his age.

Mr Rutherford was unquestionably one , of the most able, learned^ and con-

222 1B02U8 BYHBB.

fiilent prttbytoriua of hit afB ; whUe in lui Fanilinr LeitanvjMiUidMd ]
moutlyy lie eYinoM a fenoinr of feeltng and fnoy, Uhi^ ia oUmt < '
and olheriviM exerted, would biYO nuiked ium ■■ w a y Ibe inert eiie pei rfii i enili.
vatm of literative. Wodfear hes ebnned, that tbeie 4rho ikmtm him bent,
were at a lou «diioh to .adaure, hU eablime ^aniai in Ibe ad ual y or bii
iamiliar eondeeoeaeioni in ihe pulpit, liboM he waa«ae of the nnat fliovinf and
aAectionate preacheia in his time, .or pexfaape innDy«|fe of tiieehatvb.

RYMER, Thomas, of Eraildon, oonuaoniy eaUed ThoMU 4be Rbyaer, and
otberwiie eiyled Thooae Leannoot, waa a dioingiiiihed penon of tbn tid rt e en tii
century. So little it JoDOwn letpecting him, U»i even bit nuM hat beceow a
matter of eontroierty. How the name of T ■iamiirr cmne to be given him, it not
known ; but in none ;of Ae early autbociliet do we Ind it; and although it hat
long been reoeived at the bacd^ patronymic^ it it now, by inquiring aatiqaa-
riei, eonadered a mitnomer. In « charter gianted by trie -ton and heirlo the
convent of Boltia, be it called Tkamas BjFMfr dt EnMtm. Robert de
Brunne^ Fofdun^ Barbour, and Winton, ctll faim imiply Themat of filoeldouD,
nhile l^nry the minttrel callt him Thomat Rymer.

EroeldounOy or, according to the modem ooRoption, Earitlown, is a ■nail
village on the right bank of the Leader wattr, in BerwiekthiFt. ^t the
western extremity of thit village, ttand, after a lapie of eeven centarict, the
ruins of the house which Thomat inhabited, called JRAsyawr's Tomer ; and in
the front wall of the ullage church, theve it « atone with lliit inscription "on
it:—

Aold Rymer's not
LfesintiiiipiaoB.

The poet most haTe lived during nearly the whole df the thirteenth century.
Hit remance of *'€lir Trittram* is quoted by Gottfried of Strasburg, who
flourished about 1 880 ; and it is Icnown he was -alive, and in the cenith of
his prophetic reputeUon, in 1966, tt the death of Alexander IIL He must
have been dead, however, before 1S99, as that is Uie date of the charter, in
which his son calls himself Films tf A«res Thomts Rjfmour de BrceldotL
Henry the minstrel makes him take a part in the adventures of Wallace, in
li96 ; so, if this authority it to be credited, he must have died between that
year and 1999.

To thit day, the name of Thomas tiie Rhymer is popularly known in Scotland
as a prophet ; and it is only by a late discovery |^of the BI& of a metrical romance
caUed '* Sir Trittmm,* that he has acquired a lem exceptionable claim to re-
membrance. ^* The Prophecies of Thomas the Rhymer," were published, in
Latin and English, at Edinburgh, in 1615, and have been repeatedly reprinted,
oc^es of them being still to be found among the country people of Scothnd.
He is mentioned in his prophetic capacity by many of our early writers. Among
the most noted of his predictions, is the following, regarding the death of
Alexander III., which is thus narrated by Boeee, as translated by Ballenden : —
'' It is said, the day afore the kingit dethe, the erie of Marche demandit ane
prophet namit Thomat Rhymoar, otherwayis namit Ersiltoun, quhat wedder
suld be on the morow. To quhome antwerit this ThomasTfhsi^'' ^^® morow
afore none, sail bk>w the gretist W7nd that ever was hard arord4A Scotland.
On the morow, quhen it was neir noon the lift appering loane, but%(y din or
tempest, the erle send for this pn^heit, and reprerit hym that he prqgpesticat
sic wynd to be, and nae appetance thairo£ This Thomas maid litel jR*^*^*
bot said, noun is not yet gane. And incontinent ane man came to th£ >^^i
fichawing the king waa slain. Than said the prophet, yone is the wynd

THQK&S RYVra^

223

sail blaw to the gret tahmty waii tmtblv of dl Sootland; Thonuu wes ane
mail of gret admiratioit to- the pople, and sehaw sundry thingis as thay fell"
The oonunon sense translation of this story is, that Thomas presaged to the earl
of march' that the next day ivonld be windy ; the weather proved calm ; but
newvamred^ofHie deatii or Alexander III., which gare an allegorical turn to
the prediction, and sared the credit of the prophet

Barbonr, Winton, Henry the Minstvel, and others, all refer tatlie pnephetic
diaracter of ThemasL In fiailKNir-s Broce, written about 1370, the bishop of
St AndBtna isuintnidaoed as saying;^ after Bcnoe had slain, tim Red Gumia : —

"b hop Thonas' pioRfaeey
Off HsnQdomM, werefyd be
In him; ibr aim onr Lord halp me,
I haiff grot hop he schatt be king,
And haiir this kmdaU hi ledli«.

BtucBf u. 86*

Wintoun's words are then r-^

Of this tfycht qtihflam spak Thomas

Of Ercddoune, that sajd in deme,

Tbare suld meet stalwarty, stark^ and stenie.

He sa)^ It ix\ his prophede,

But how he wist, it was ftri^'.

Henry the Miottiei repreatnta him m saying-, on being falsely told that Wallaoe
waa cMMl s^—

Mony tfaooMid on Md sail nak Ihar CBid.
And Seotkmd duiash^saU bring to the pesa^
So gild of hand agayne sail nesir ba kend.*^

B».ii.dii.a^

How^ fhn Byowr hiasaalf made prateaaiODeito the cfameliP of » pvephet, and
haw far the- reputation, haa been contaesd i^on him by thv people in hiaown
time and aiooe, it ia iapeasiUe to defeamiine. It is oaatrin, howerer, that in
alflsoai every snhaerieiifc agioy meirioai pnodiMtioaa came mder paldic notice,
and were atteibuted tarhsm^ tboughy itmiglit h^soppeaed^ they wer» in genefai
thft- men eoin of oantonipovary irits^ apj^iad to pasaiof evantsr There are,
nerwthelesii a eonsidanUe munbcaof fhyaiaa and proevsbiai eapresaiona', of an
antique and prunitlw chazaetev^ attnhDtod t» Thonaa the Rhymer: and appli«
cable to general circumstancea : of aome of these we deem it by no meana un*
likely that they sprung from the aowroe te> wUdi- they are ascribed, being in
some instances only such exertions ef foreaight', as a man of cultirated under*
standing might naturally make ; and' inr callers) dreamy ratidnations of eril,
which nerer hafo been, and perhapr nerer will, be realized. Many of these
may be found in the Border Minstreby, and in ^^ Popular Rhymes of Scotland,'*
and the *' Picture of Scotland," compilations by the editor of the present dic-
tionary. It may also be mentioned, aa iHustratiTe of the forceful character of
this early and obscure genius, that he and his predictions are as well known in
the Highlands and Hebrides aa in our southern counties. The Cambrian and
Caledonian Magazine, 1833, girea. the tsvo. following Gaelic predictions, as
imputed to him by the Highlanders : —

224

THOMAS RTMIBB.

«Cairidh fiaeatl nin eaonich n cnim air an ■ptfr."
Hw teeth of the iheep will lay the ptei^^ en tha didt

** Bilhidh mnilearai air gaoh alt,agai ath air gadi cnoo; tombae aig na boachaillean, a*s
gmagaSchean gun naire. " Le. There alall be a mill en eveiy bnmky a Idln on ereiy he^ht ;
herds shall use tobaooiH and jtwng women shall be without shame.

In the introduction to Robert de Brunne*8 AnnalSp mritten about 12SS,
Thomas of Eroeldoune is oomniemorated as the author of Ilia incomparable
romance of Sir Tristrem. Gottfried of Strasburg, also, a German minstrel of
tlie ISth century, already alluded to, says, that many of his piofession told the
tale of Sir Tristrem imperfectly and incorrectly ; but that he derifed his au-
thority from ** Thomas of Britannia, [evidently our Thomas,] master of the
art of romance, who had read the history in British books, and knew the livea
of all the lords of the land, and made them known to ua.* This work,
of our poet was considered to be lost, till a copy of it was dlscorered
among the Auchinledc MSS. belonging to the library of the fiunilty of adTocates,
Edinburgh, and published, with introduction and notes, by Sir Walter Scott.

From the opening lines of this copy, ria^

I ttas at Ereeldouiie;

With Tratiaa spak y thare;
Ther herd y rode In roune.

Who mstrem gat and bare, &e

a doubt has arisen whether it be the identical romance composed by Thomaa^SF
Erceldoune, which was preferred by his contemporaries to every mmstrol tale
of the time. But the celebrated editcr very satisfactorily deraonstnsted, from
the specific marks by which Robert de Biunne, a contemporary of Thomas, de-
scribes the work, that this must be the genuine Sir Tristrem, taken, probably,
from the recitation of a minstrel who had heard and retained in his memory
the words of ThoraaSi The date of the MS. does not seem to be much UUer
than 1 330, which makes an interral of about forty years between it and the
author's time, a period in which some corruptions may hare been introduced,
but no material change in the formation of the knguage. Accordingly, the
structure of the poem bears a peculiar character. The words are diiefly those
of the fourteenth century ; but the turn of phrase is, either from antiquity or
the affectaUon of the time when it was written, dose, nerroua, and condse, even
to obscurity. The stanaa is rery complicated, conaistinf of eleven lines, of
which the 1st, 3d, 6th, and 7th rhyme together, as do the 9d, 4th, 6th, 8th,
and lOth. A single stanza will serve to show ito intricate and difficult struc-
ture. This one speaks of the education of Tristram by Roland :

Fiflene yers he gan him fede^

Sir Rohant the trewe ;
He taught him ich alede^

Of ich maner of glewe \
And everich playing thede^

Old lawes and newe ;
On hunting oft he yede,

To Bwiche alawe ha drewe,
Althus;

More he ooiithe of veneri,
Than oouthe Manerlous.

r

BIGHT KEVEREND JOHN SAGE.

225

It may be remarked that a complicated vevse has been a favourite among the
Scotiith poets down to the present time. Burns, for instance, has injured some
of his best pieces by adopting the jingling stanza of the ** Cherry and the
Slae.-

By the recovery of this work, Scotland can lay claim to a poem more
ancient than England; and^ indeed, it would appear from what is said
by Robert de Brunne, and other circumstances, that the gests of the northern
minstrels were written in an ambitious and ornate style which the southern
harpers marred in repeating, and which plebeian audiences were unable to com-
prehend ; in other words, that the English language received its first rudiments
of improvement in this comer of the island, where it is now supposed to be most
corrupted.

SAGE, (the Right Reverend) John, was born in 1652, in the parish of
Creichy in the north-east part of the county of Fife, where his ancestors had
lived with much respect, but little property, for seven generations ; his father
was a captain in lord Duffus*s regiment, which was engaged in the defence of
Dundee, when it was stormed and taken by the parliamentary general, Blonk,
on the 30th August, 1651. Captain Sage's property was diminished in pro-
portion to his loyalty, and all the fortune he had to bestow on his son was a
liberal education and his own principles of loyalty and virtue. Young Sage
received the rudiments of his education at the school of his nativo parish, and
at a proper age was removed to the university of St Andrews, where he remained
during the usual course, performing the exercises required by the statutes of
the Scottish universities, and where he took the degree of master of arts in the
year 1673. He made letters his profession; but, his means being narrow, he
was compelled to accept the office of parochial schoolmaster of Bingry in Fife,
from which parish he was soon afterwards removed to the same office in Tipper-
muir, near Perth. Though, in these humble stations, he wanted many of tlie
necessaries, and all the comforts of life, he prosecuted his studies with unwear-
ied diligence ; unfortunately, however, in increasing his stock of learning, he
imbibed the seeds of several diseases, whicli afflicted him through the whole of
his life, and, notwithstanding the native vigour of his constitution, tended ulti-
mately to shorten his days. To the cultivated mind of such a man as Sage,
the drudgery of a parish school must have been an almost intolerable slavery ;
he therefore readily accepted the offer from Mr Drummond of Cultmalundie,
of a situation in his family, to superintend the education of his sons. He ac-
companied these young persons to the granmiar school of Perth, and afterwards
attended them in the same capacity of tutor to the university of St Andrews.
At Perth, he acquired the esteem of Dr Rose, who was afterwards bishop of
Edinburgh, and one of the most distinguished men of his age ; and at St An-
drews, he obtained the friendship and countenance of all the great literary
characters of the period.

In 1684, the education of his pupils was completed, and he was again
thrown on the world without employment, without prospects, and without any
weans of subsistence. His friend, Dr Rose, however, having been promoted
from the station of parish minister at Perth to the chair of divinity at St
Andrews, did not forget young Sage at this moment of indecision and helpless-

226

BIGHT KEVEREND JOHN SAGE.-

ness, but recommended bim so effectually to bis imde, Dr Rom, tben archbigbop
of Glasgow, that he was by that prelate adiDitted into priest^ orders, and pre-
sented to one of the city churdies. At the period of his adrancement in the
church he was about thirty-four years of age : his knowledge of the Scriptures
was rery great ; and he had studied ecclesiastical history, with the writings of
all the early fathers of the churdi : he was thorough roaster of school divinity,
and had entered deeply into the modem contro?ersies, especially those between
the Bomlsh and the Protestant churches, and also into the disputes ^aroong the
rival churches of the Reformation. He was in consequence very highly esteemed
by his brethren, and was soon aAer appointed derk of the diocesan synod of
Glasgow, an office of great responsibility.

During the establishment of episcopacy in Scotland, from the Rest<Mration of
Charles II. till the year 1690, the authority of the bishops in the gOTemment
of the church was exceedingly limited ; they possessed indeed the sole power
of ordination, but their government was shared by presbyteries and diocesan
synods, in which they presided as perpetual modeiators, haring only the insi<r.
nificant prerogative of a negative voice over the deliberation of these assemblies.
The bishop delivered also a charge to the presbyters at the opening of these
meetings, which, with the acts of the synodal or presbyterial meetings,
was registered by the clerk, who was aln-ays one of the most eminent of the
diocesan clergy. In all this period there were neither liturgy, nor forms, nor
ceremonies, nor surplices, nor black gowns, nor any mark whatever by whidi
a stranger, on entering a parish church, could discover that any difference in
worship or external appearance existed between the esteblished opiscopal
church and the tolerated presbyterian chapel ; and we believe it is an established
fact, that so much were the minds of the moderate presbyterians reoondled to
episcopacy, that almost all the indulged ministers, with their congregations,
took the communion at the parish churches with the episcopal dergy^ towards
the latter end of the reign of Charles IL

Mr Sage continued to officiate as clerk of the diocese, and as a parish
minister in Glasgow, till the Revolution in 1 688. In executing the duties of his
pastoral office, he gained the esteem and affection not only of his own parkhion-
ers, but even of the presbyterians ; so much so, that when the common people
took the reformation of the church into their own hands, and, with no gentle
means, turned the episcopal dergy of the western shires out of their chuidies
and livings, he was treated in a manner which was considered as comparatively
lenient ^Dd humane, being warned privately ** to shake off the dust from his
feet and withdraw from Glasgow, and never venture to appear there again.*'
Many of his brethren were trimmers both in ecclesiastical as well as political
affairs ; they had been presbyterians and republicans in the days of the Cove-
nant, and when, from the signs of the times in the short reign of the infatuated
and ill-advised James, a change in the establishment seemed to be approaching,
these over-zealous converts to episcopacy suddenly became all gentleness and
condescension to the presbyterians, whom they now courted and cav««ed.
Sage's conduct was the reverse of this ; he was heartily and from oonvictitn an
episcopalian and a royalist ; and in all his discourses in public and private he
laboured to instil those principles into the minds of otliers. To the persecu-
tion of others for difference of opinion he was always steadily opposed, not from
any indifference to all opinions, but from a spirit of perfect charity, for he
never tamely betrayed through fear what he knew it was his duty to maintain,
notwithstanding hU indulgence to the prejudices of others.

Thus expelled from Glasgow, he sought shelter in Edinburgh, carrying with
him the synodical books, which, it would appear, he had delivered to bishop

BIGHT REVEREND JOHN SAGE.

227

Rom, for, after th« death of that Tenerable eccleiiaiticy they were found in hit
poHeaion^ and deliTered by hia nephew to the prethytery of Glaigow. These
books had been repeatedly demanded by the new presbytery, but had always
been refused from a hope still lingering in Sage*s mind that a second
restoration shfiuld take phoe ; but as the captirity of the Jews always increased
in duration, in proportion to their number, so has that of the episcopal church
of Scotland. Partly to oontribute towards that restoration for which he ardent-
ly longed, and partly to support himself under that destitution to which he was
now reduced, he conMnenced as polemical writer, to the infinite annoyance of
his adreisaries : the following is a list of his works, which are now scarce, and
chiefly to be found in the libtaries of those who are curious in such things :

I. The second and third letten concerning the persecution of the episcopal
clergy in ^Scotland, printed in London in 1689. The first letter was written
by the Rer. Thomas Morer, and the fourth by professor Monra

9. An Account of the late establishment of presbyterian goremment by the
parliament of Scotland in 1690. London, 1693.

S. The Fundamental Charter of Presbytery. London, 1695.

4. The Principles of the Cyprianic age, with regard to episcopal power
and jurisdiction. London, 1695.

5. A Vindication of the Principles of the Cyprianic Age, London, 1701.

6. Some Remarlcs on a letter from a gentleman in the city to a minister in
the country, on Mr Dorid Williaasson's sermon before the General Assembly.
I^linbuigh, 1709.

7. A brief examination of some things in Mr Meldmm's sermon preached
on the 6th May, 1703, against a tolentioo to those of the episcopal per-
suasion. Edinbwgh, 1703.

8. The reasonableness of a toleration of those of the episcopal pennasion, in.
quired into purely on diurdi principles, 1704.

9. The Life of Gawtn Douglas, 1710.

10. An intvodoetion to Drummond*s History of the Fire Jameses, Edinburgh,
1711.

He left, besidesi several omnaseripts on Tarions subjects that are men-
tioned in hii life by bishop GiUan, and winch were published at London in
1714.

On his retirsnient to the aMtropoIis, he began to officiate to a small body who
still adhered to the displaced church ; but, peremptorily refusing to take the
oaths to the rerolution goremment, such was then the rigour of the officers of state^
and the riolence of the populace, that he was ere long compelled at once to
demit his charge, and to leare the city, hie person being no longer deemed safe.
In thb extremity, he was receired into the family, and enjoyed the proteo*
tion and friendship of Sir William Bruce, then sherilT of Kinross, who approred
of his principles, and admired his rirtues. Here he remained till 1696. On
the imprisonment of his patron. Sir William, who was suspected of disaffection
to the government, he rentured in a clandestine manner to visit him in Edinburgh
castle ; but his persecutors would give him no respite ; he was obliged again to
flee for his life to the Grampian hills, where he lived destitute and penny-
less under the assuaoed name of Jaokaon.

AfWr he had wandered in a destitute state for some time among the Braes of
Angus, the countess of Callander oA^red liim an asylum, and the appointment of
domestic chaplain for her family, and tutor for her sons. Here he continued
for some time, and when the young gentlemen intrusted to his charge were no
longer in want of his instructione, he accepted an inritation from Sir John
Stewart of Grantully, who desired the assistance of a chaplain, and the conver-

228

MICHAEL SOOTT.

tetion of a inaii of letton. In this situation he remained till the neceisitiet of
the church required the episcopal order to be preeerred by new oonsecrationa.
The mildness of his manners, the extent of hit learning-, and his ezperienoe r^
commended him as a fit person on whom to bestow the episcopal character.
He was accordingly consecrated a bishop, on the 85th January, 1705, when no
temporal motives could have induced him to accept an office at all times of
great responsibility, but at that time of peculiar penonal danger. His conse-
crators were John Paterson, the deprived archbishop of Glasgow, Dr Alexander
Rose, deprived bishop of Edinburgh, and Robert Doiiflas, deprived bish<^ of
Dumblane.

Soon after his promotion, tliis illustrious man was seised with that illness, tlie
seeds of which liad been sown in the difficulties and privations of his youth..
After patiently lingering a considerable time in Scotland without im^vement^
the persecutions to which he was subjected increasing his malady, he was in-
duced to try the efficacy of the ivaters at Bath, in 1709. But this also failed
him: the seat of his disease lay deeper than medical skill could reach* He re-
mained a year at Bath and London, where the great recognised, and the
learned caressed and courted him, and where it was the wish of many distin-
gubhed persons that he should spend the remainder of his life. The love of
liis country and of his native churdi, overcame all entreaties, and he returned
to Scotland in 1710, witli a debilitated body, but a mind as vigorous as ever.
Immediately on his arrival, he engaged with undiminished ardour in the pub-
lication of Ururomond*s Works, to which Ruddiman, whose friendship he had
for many years enjoyed, lent his assistance. Worn out with disease and men-
til anguish, bishop Sage died at Edinburgh, on 7th June, 1711, lamented by
liis friends, and feared by his adversaries. His friend Ruddiman always spoke
of him as a companion whom he esteemed for his worth, and as a sdiolar whom
he admired for his learning. Sage was unquestionably a man of great ability, and
even genius. It is to be lamented, however, that his life and intellect were alto*
gather expended in a wrong position, and on a thankless subject All the sophisti-
cal ingenuity that ever was exerted, would have been unable to convince the great
majority of Uie Scottish people, tliat the order of bishops was of scriptural institu-
tion, or that the government of the two last male Stuarts, in which a specimen
of that order had so notable a share, was a humane or just government He was
a man labouring against the great tide of circumstances and public feeling ; and,
accorflingly, those talents, which otherwise might hare been exerted for the im-
prorement of his fellow creatures, and the fulfilment of the grand designs of
providence, were tlirewn away, without producing either immediate or remote
good. How long hare men contended about trifles — ^what ages hare been per-
mitted to elapso uselessly — how many bright minds hare been lighted up, and
quenched — before even a fair portion of reason has been introduced into tlie
habits of thinking, and the domestic practice of the race.

SCOTT, Michael, a learned person of the thirteenth century, kno^vn to the
better informed as a philosopher, and to the illiterate, especially of Scotland, as
a wizard, or magician, was bom about the year 1814. The precise locality of
his birthplace is unknown, although that honour has been awarded to Bal-
wearie, in Fife, but on insufficient authority. Neither is there any thing
known of his parents, nor of their rank in life ; but, judging of the education
he received, one of the most liberal and expensire of the times, it may be pre-
sumed that they were of some note.

Scott early betook himself to the study of the sciences ; but, soon exhausting
all the information which his native country afibrded in those unlettered times,'
he repaired to the university of Oxford, then enjoying a rery high reputation,

MICHAEL SCOTT.

229

and devoted hlmselfy with great eagerness and assiduity, to philosophical ptir-
suitSy particularly astronomy and chemistry ; in both of which, and in the acqui-
sition of the Latin and Arabic languages, he attained a singular proficiency.
At this period, astronomy, if it did not assume entirely the shape of judicial
astrology, was yet largely and intimately blended with that fantastic but not
animpressive science ; and chemistry was similarly affected by the not less ab-
surd and illusive mysteries of alchymy : and hence arose the imaginary skill
and real reputation of Scott om a wizard, or foreteller of events ; as, in propor-
tion to his knowledge of the true sciences, was his imputed acquaintance with
the false.

On completing his studies at Oxford, he repaired, agreeably to the practice
of the times, to the university of Paris. Here he applied himself with such
diligence and success to Uie study of mathematics, that he acquired the academic
surname of Michael the Mathematician ; but neither his attentfon nor reputa^
tion were confined to this science alone. He made equal progress, and attained
equal distinction in sacred letters and divinity ', his acquirements in the lattex
studies being acknowledged, by his haying the degree of doctor in theology
conferred upon him.

While in Paris, he resumed, in the midst of his other academical arocations,
the study of that science on which his popular fame now rests, namely, judicial
astrology, and devoted also a farther portion of his time to chemistry and me<
dicine. Having possessed himself of all that he could acquire in his particu-*
lar pursuits in the French capital, he determined to continue his travels, with
the view at once of instructing and of being instructed. In the execution of
this project, he risited sereral foreign countries and learned unirersiiies ; and
amongst Uie latter, that of the celebrated college at Padua, where he eminently
distinguished himself by his essays on judicial astrology. From this period, his
fame gradually spread abroad, and the reverence with which his name now began
to be associated, was not a little increased by his predictions, which he, for the
first time, now began to publish, and which were as firmly believed in, and con-
templated with as much awe in Italy, where they were first promulgated, as
they were ever at any after period in Scotland.

From Italy he proceeded to Spain, taking up his residence in Toledo, whose
university was celebrated for its cultivation of the occult sciences. Here, be-
sides taking an active part, and making a conspicuous figure in the discussions
on these sciences, he began and concluded a translation, from the Arabic into
Latin, of Aristotle's nineteen books on the History of Animals. This work
procured him the notice, and subsequently the patronage of Frederidc II., who
invited him to his court, and bestowed on him the ofiioe of royal astrologer.
While filling this situation, he translated, at the emperor^s desire, the greater
part of the works of Aristotle. He wrote, also, at the royal request, an original
work, entitled *^ Liber Introductorius sive Indicia Quaestionum," for the use of
young students ; and a treatise on physiognomy, entitled '' Physiognomia et de
Horoinis Procreatione ;'' besides several other works, of which one was on tlie
*' Opinions of Astrologers."

After a residence of some years at the court of Frederick, IVlidiael resigned his
situation, and betook himself to the study of medicine as a profession, and soon
acquired great reputation in this art Before parting with the emperor, with
whom he seems to have lived on a more intimate and familiar footing, than
the haughty and warlike disposition of that prince might have been expect-
ed to permit, he predicted to him the time, place, and manner of his death;
4ind the prophecy is said to have been exactly fulfilled in every parti-
cular. After a residence of some years in Germany, be came over to Eng-

230 • SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART.

land, with the view of nCurniBg to hit notiTO ooiintr)\ On his arriral In
the Uittor kingdom, he waa kindly reeeired and patroniaed by Edvrard I.;
and, after being retained for some tine at hit court, waa pannitted to pan
tti Scotland, where he arrived shortly after the death of Alexander IIL
That event rendering it neceasary to send ambaaiadots to Norway, to bring
OTsr the young queen, Margaret, or, as ahe ia more poetically called, the
Maid of Norway, grand-daughter of the deceaaed monarch, Michael Soott, now
atyled Sir Michael, although we hare no account either of the time or oc-
casion of his being elerated to this dignity, was appointed, with Sir Darid
Weenn, to proceed on this important miaaion, a proof that hia reputation as a
wizard had not affected his moral respectability. With this hut drcamatanoe,
tlie reriuble history of Sir Michael torminates ; for his name does not again
appear in oonuexion with any public event, nor is there any thing known of
his subsequent life. Ue died in tlie year 1399, at an advanced age, and was
buried, according to some authorities, at Holme Cohnune^ In Cumberland ; and,
according to othen, in Melrose abbey.

Although, however, all the principal authenticated inddents in the life of Sir
Michael which are known, are compnhended in this brief sketch, it would take
volumes to contain all that is told, and to this hour believed, by tlie peasantry
of Scotland, of the terrible necromancer, oM Michael For aome curioua ape-
cimens of the traditional chaitMtor of the great magician of other days, the
reader may be referred to the notes appended to the ** Lay of the Last Min*
Btrel,*' by the still greater magician of modem times. He will there learn,
how Sir Michael, on one occasion, rode through the air to Emnee on a huge
black horse ; how the devil made an unsuecesaful attempt to entrap him by the
iray ; how, on another occasion, when

Maifiter Michael Soott^l man.
Sought meat, and gat nane,

from a niggardly iarmer, he threw down a bonnet which his master had previ-
oualy enchanted, and which, becoming suddenly Inibted, began to spin round
the liouae with aupematural apeed, and drew, by ita magical influence, the whole
houaehold after it, man, maid, and miatresa, who all continued the goblin cfaaae, •
until tliey were worn out with fhtigue. It may not, perhapa, be unneceasary to
add, that all these cantrips, and a thouaand more, were performed by the agency
of a '* mighty bo^^ of necromancy, whidi no man, kjat on peril 'of aoul and
body, might open, or peruse, and which waa at laat buried in the aame grave
with ita tremendoua owner.

SCOTT, (Sib) WALTsa, baronet, a diatinguiahed poet and noveliat, waa bom
in Edinburgh, Aoguat 15, 1771. He ^vaa a younger aon of Mr Walter Scott,
writer to the aignet, by Anne, daughter of Dr John Rutherford, profeaaor of the
practice of medicine in the univeraity of Edinburgh. Sir Walter'a father was
grandaon to a younger aon of Scott of Raebmrn, a branch of the ancient baronial
liouae of Harden ; and hia mother waa grand-daughter to Sir John Swinton, of
Swinton, in Berwickahire. Being an ailing child, he waa aent at a very early
period of life to Sandyknow, a farm near the bottom of Leader water, in Rox-
burghahire, occupied by hia paternal grandfather, where he had ample opportuni-
tiea of atoring hia mind with border tradition. The fifat adiool he attended ia said
to have been one in Kelao, taught by a Mr Whale, where he had for sdiool-
fellowa Jamea and John Ballantyne, who aubaequently became intimately con-
nected with him in public life. He entered the high achool of Edinburgh in
1779, when the claaa with wliich he waa ranked (ihat of Mr Luke Fraaer) waa
commencing ita third aeaaon. Under thb maater he continued during two

SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART.

231

yean, after which he entered the rector's dass, then taught by Mr Alexander
Adam. In October, 1783, haring completed the usual clnssical course^ he was
matriculated at tha university of Edinburgh, studying AtimaR%, or Latin, un-
der professor Hill, and Greek under professor Dalzell. Another year under
Dalaellf and a third in the logic class, taught by professor Bruce, appear to
hare formed the sum of his unprofessional studies at college. He wos mudi de-
Toted at this period to reading ; and an illness, which interrupted his studies in
his sixteenth year, afforded him an unusually ample* opportunity of gratifying
this taste. He read, by his oim conlession, all the old romances, old plays,
and opic poems, contained in the extensive circulating library of Mr Sibbald
(Ibunded by Allan Ramsay) ; and soon after extended his studies to hi&tories,
mttBotn, royagea, and trarels. On the restoration of his health, he commenced,
in his fatherls olHce, an apprenticeship to legal business, whidi was completed
ia July, 1793, by his entering at the Scottish bar.

The literary diaiacter of Scott is to be traced to the traditicmary lore which
he imbibed in the country, and the vast amount of miscellaneous reading above
referred to, in conjunction with the study of the modem German poets and ro-
mancers, which he entered upon at a subservient period. The earlier years of
his lift, as an advocate, were devoted rather to the last mentioned study, than
to busine« ; and the result was, a translation of *' Burger^ Lenore,** and ** Der
Wilde Jager," which he published in a small quarto volume in 1796. The
aucoesi of this attempt was by no means encoureging; yet he persevered in his
German studies, and, in 1799, gave to the world a translation of G5ihe*s
** Goets of Berlichengen." Previously to the latter event, namely, on the 94th
DecenriMr, 1797, be had married Miss Carpenter, a young Frenchwoman of
good parentage, whom he accidentally met at Gilsiand wells, in Cumberland,
and who pos sesse d a small annuity. It is also worthy of notice, that, in 1799,
he was appointed sheriff of Selkiikshire, a respectable situation, to whidi an in-
come of je300 was attached.

The success of Burger in ballad-wriUng, operating upon his predilection for
that part of our own national poetry, induced him, about this time, to make se-
veral attempts in that line of compositien, and soon after to commence the col-
lection of those ancient original ballads, which in 1808 were published in two vo-
lumes octavo, as the Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. On the reprinting of
this wotk, in the ensuing year, he added a third volume, consisting chiefly of ori-
ginal ballads, by himself and others. The work was, upon the whole, a pleas-
ing melange of history^ poetry, and tradition ; and it gained the author a con-
siderable reputation, though certainly not that of an original .poet in any emi-
nent degree. In the annotations to the ancient ronuinoe of Sir Tristrem, which
he published in 1804, he gave still more striking proof of the extent of his ao
quirensents in metrical antiquities.

It was not till the year 1805, when Scott had reached the age of thirty-
four, and had a family rising around him, that he attracted decided attention as
an original poet. He published in that year his ** Lay of the Last Minstrel,"
an extended spedmen of the ballad style, and one whidi fell upon the public
nund as something entirely new in poetry. The caution which he may be said
to have observed in coming before the world, arose from prudential considera^
tions. He hesitated to come to a breadi with his professional hopes, which
a decided attempt in literature would have implied, before he should have
attained something to assure him of a competency in the worst resort This he
had in some measure secured by his patrimony, his wife^s annuity, and his
sakry as sheriff; but it was not till 1806, when he received the appointment of
a principal clerk of session, that he considered himself at perfect liberty to

232

SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART.

punue a literary career. For this latter appointment, he was indebted to the
interest of the Buocleuch and MeWille families, which he had conciliated, partly
by his talents, and partly by the zeal with which he entered into the Tolunteer
system at the close of the post century. He succeeded Mr George Home, upon
an arrangement, by which that gentleman was to enjoy the salary for life ; so
that it was not till 181 1 that the poet reaped any actual benefit from it The
appointment was giren by Mr Filt, but was formally completed under the en-
suing administration of Lord Grenville.

In 1808, Mr Scott published his second poem of magnitude, *^ Marmion,**
which displayed his metrical genius in greater perfection than the Lay of tlie
Last Minstrel, and greatly increased his reputation. While the latter work
had produced him j£600, the present secured one thousand guineas. ProTiousIy
to 1835, no fewer than thirty-six thousand copies of Marmion were sold.
In the same year, Mr Scott published an edition of Dryden's works, with notes,
and a life of that poet. In 1809, he edited the State Papers and letters of
Sir Ralph Sadler ; and soon after he became a contributor to the Edinburgh
Annual Register, started by Mr Southey.

** The Lady of the Lake," in which his poetical genius seems to have readied
the acme of its powers, was published in 1810. His earlfer efforts were less
matured and refined ; and the later are all, in rarious degrees, less spirited and
eAecttve. In 1811 appeared '' Don Roderick," a dreamy raticination of mo-
dern Spanish history ; in 1813 he published '' Rokeby," in which he attempt-
ed, but witliout success, to invest English scenery and a tale of the dTil war
with the charm which he had already thrown over the Scottish Highlands and
Borders, and their romantic inhabitants. Rokeby met with a decidedly unfavour-
able reception ; and, it cannot be denied, the public enjoyed to a greater extent
a burlesque, which appeared upon it, under the title of ** Jokeby." The evil
success of this poem induced him to make a desperate adventure to retrieve his
laurels ; and in 1814 he published ^' The Lord of the Isles." Even the name
of Bruce, however, could not compensate the want of what had been the most
captivating charm of his earlier productions — the development of new powers
and styles of poesy. The public was now acquainted with his whole " fence,"
and could, therefore, take no longer the same interest in his exhibitions. As
if to try flow far his name now operated in promoting the sale of his writings, he
produced, anonymously, two small poems in succession, ** Harold the Dauntless,"
and '< The Bridal of Triermain." Neither made any considerable impression
upon the public ; and he, therefore, leenis to have concluded that poetry waa
no longer a line in which he ought to exercise his talents.

Many years before, while as yet unknown as a poet, he had commenced a
prose tale upon the legendary story of Thomas the Rymer, which never went
beyond the first chapter. Subsequently, he contemplated a prose romance, re-
lating to an age mucli nearer our own time. "My early recollections," says
he,^ '' of the Highland scenery and customs made so favourable an impression
in the poem called the ' Lady of the Lake,' that I was induced to think of at-
tempting something of the same kind in prose. I had been a good deal in the
Highlands at a time when they were much less accessible, and much less visited,
llian they have been of late years, and was acquainted \vith maffy of the old
warriors of 1745, who were, like most veterans, easily induced to fight tlieir
battles over again, for the benefit of a willing listener like myself. It naturally
occurred to me that the ancient traditions and high spirit of people, who, living
in a civilized age and country, retained so strong a tincture of manners belong-
ing to an early period of society, must afford a subject favourable for romance,
if it should not prove a curious tale marred in the telling.

1 In the auto-biographical inlroducticn to tho revised ediiioiis of his works.

SIR WALTBB SCOTT. BART.

233

'' It was with toine idea of ibis kind, that, about the year 1806^ I threw t<v
getber about one-lbird part of the first rolume of Waverley. It was advertised
to be published by the late Mr John Ballantyne, bookseller in ]*!dinburgh, un-
der the name of ' Warerley.* « « • Haring proceeded as far, I think, as
the serenth chapter, I showed my work to a critical friend, whose opinion was
iinfaTOurable ; and having some poetical reputation, I was unwilling to risk the
loss of it by attempting a new style of conipositioo. I therefore threw aside
the work I had commenced, without either reluctance or remonstrance. • • «
This portion of the manuscript was laid aside in the drawers of ao old writp
ing-desk, which, on my first coining to reside at Abbotsford in 1811, was
placed in a lumber garret, and entirely forgotten. Thus, though I sometimes,
among other literary avocations^ turned my thoughts to the continuation of the
romance which I had commenced, yet, as I could not find what I had already
written, after searching such repositories as were within my reach, and was too
indolent to attempt to wTite it anew from memory, I as often laid aside all
thoughts of that nature.**

The author then adverts to two circumstances, which particularly fixed in his
mind the wish to continue this work to a dose — namely, the success of Miss
£dgeworth*s delineations of Irish life, and his happening to be employed in
1808, in finishing the romance of Queen«Hoo>Hall, left imperfect by Mr
Strutt. ** Accident/' he continues, " at length threw the lost sheets in my
way."

*' I happened to want some fishing-tackle for the use of a guest, when it oc-
curred to me to search the old writing-desk already mentioned, in which I used
to keep articles of that nature. I got access to it with some difilculty ; and in
looking for lines and flies, the long-lost manuscript presented itself I imme-
diately set to work to complete it, according to my original purpose. * * *
Among other unfounded reports, it has been said that the copyright was, dur-
ing the book*s progress through the press, ofi'ered for sale to various booksellerr
in London at a very inconsiderable price. This was not the case. Messrs
Constable and Cadell, who published the work, were the only persons acquaint-
ed with the contents of the publication, and they ofl^ered a laige sum for it,
while in the course of printing, which, however, was dedined, the author not
choosing to part with tlie copyriglit

** Waverley was published in 1814, and as the title-page was without the
name of the author, the work was left to win its way in the world without any
of the usual recommendations. Its progress was for some time slow ; but after
the first two or three months, ils popularity had increased in a degree which
must have satisfied the expectations of tlie author, had these been far more san-
guine than he ever entertained.

^* Great anxiety was expressed to learn the name of the author, but on this
no authentic information could be attained. My original motive for publishing
the work anonymously, was the consciousness that it was an experiment on the
public taste, which might very probably fail, and therefoie there was no occa-
sion to take on myself the personal risk of discomfiture. For this purpose,
considerable precautions were used to preserve secrecy. My old friend and
schoolfelloiv, Mr James Ballantyne, who printed these novels, had the ex-
dusive task of corresponding with the author, who thus had not only the ad«
vantage of his professional talents, but of his critical abilities. The original
manuscript, or, as it is technically called, copy, was transcribed under Mr Bal-
lantyne's eye, by confidential i^ersons ; nor was there an instance of treachery
during the many years in which these precautions were rosorted to, although
various individuals were employed at different times. Double proof-sheets were
regularly printed off. One was forwarded to the author by Mr Ballantyne,

234

SIB WALTER SCOTT. BART.

and the alteratioiw which it received irere, by hit own hand, copied upon the
other proof«heet for the use of the printen, to that even the corrected prooft
of the author were nerer leen in the printing office ; and thua the curioeity of
such eager inquirers ai made the most minute inTestigation, was entirely at
foult."

To this account of the publication of Warerley it is only to be added, that
the popularity of the work became decided rather more quidcly, and was, when
decided, much higher, than the author has giren to be understood. It was
read and admired uniYorsally, both in Scotland and England, so that, in a yery
short time about twelre thousand copies were disposed of.

Prerioualy to 1811, Mr Scott had been in the habit of residing, during the
summer months, at a yilla called Ashiestlel on the banka of the Tweed, near
Selkirk, belonging to his kinsman colonel RusselL He now employed part of
his literary gains in purchasing a farm a few miles farther down the Tweed,
and within three miles of Melrose. Here he erected a small house, which he
gradually enlarged, as his emoluments permitted, till it eyentually became a
(iothic castellated mansion of considerable sice. He also continued for some
years to make considerable purchases of the adjacent grounds, generally paying
much more for them than their value. The desire of becoming an extensire
land-proprietor was a passion which glowed more warmly in his bosom than any
appetite which he ever entertained for literary fame. The whole cast of his
mind, from the very beginning, was essentially aristocnlic ; and it is probable
thai he looked with more reverence upon an old title to a good estate, than
upon the most ennobled title-page in the whole catalogue of contemporary
genius. Thus it was a matter of astonishment to many, that, while totally in-
sensible to flattery on the score of his works, and perfectly destitute of all Uie
airs of a professed or practised author, he could not so well conceal his pride
in the possession of a small patch of territory, or his sense of imporlance as a
local dispenser of justice. As seen through the medium of his works, he rather
appears like an old baron or chivalrous knight, displaying his own character
and feelings, and surrounded by the ideal creatures whidi such an individual
would have mixed with in actual life, than as an author of the modem world,
writing partly for fame, and partly for subsistence, and glad to work at thai
which he thinks he can best execute. It was unquestionably owing to the same
principle that he kept the Waverley secret with such pertinacious closeness^
being unwilling to be considered as an author writing for fortune, which he muat
have thought somewhat degrading to the baronet of Abbotsford. It was now
the principal spring of his actions to add as mudi as possible to the little realm
of Abbotsford, in order that he might take his place-^not among the great
literary names which posterity is to revere, but among the country gentlemen of
Roxburghshire !'

Under the influence of this passion — for such it must be considered-*
Mr Scott produced a rapid succession of novels, of which it will be sufficient
hereto state the names and dates. To Waverley succeeded, in 1815, Guy
Mannering ; in 1816, the Antiquary , and the First Series of the Tales of my
Landlord, containing the Black Dwarf and Old Mortality; In 1818, Rob Roy,
and the Second Series of the Tales cf my Landlord, containing the Heart of
Mid Lothian ; and in 1819, the Third Series of the Tales of my Landlord, con-
taining the Bride of Lammermoor, and a Legend of Montrose.

It is to be observed, that the series, called " Tales of my Landlord/* were

^ Lest these speculatioiis may appear somewhat panidoxioal, the editor may mention
tliat thev were pronounced, by the lute Mr James BaUant)iie, in miting, to be *<adminir

bly tnio.^'

SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART.

235

professedly by a diflbrent author from him of Waverley: an expedbct
which the real author had thought conducive to the naintenance of the public
interest IlaYing now drawn upon public curiosity to the extent of twelve
folumes in each of his two incogrnitos, tie seems to hare thought it necessary to
adopt a third, and accordingly he intended IvanhoOy which appeared in the be-
ginning of 1830, to come forth as the fiist work of a new candidate for public
favour. FVom this design he was diverted by a circumstance of trivial impor«
tance, the publication of a novel at London, pretending to be a foufth series of
the Tales of my Landlord. It was therefore judged necessary that Ivanhoe
ahould appear as a veritable production of the author of Waverley. To it suo<
ceeded, in the course of the same year, the Monastery and the Abbot,
which were judged as the least meritorious of all his prose tales. In the be-
ginning of the year Iddl, appeared Kenil worth; making twelve volumes, if not
written, at least published, in as many months. In 1639 he produced the
Pirate and the Fortunes of Nigel ; in 18S3, Peveril of the Peak (four volumes)
and Quentin Durward ; in 1834, St Ronan*s Well and Redgauntlet; in 1835,
Tales of the Crusaders (four volumes); in 1836, Woodstock; in 1837, Ghro<
nicies of the Ganongate, fimA mtiu (two volumes) ; in 1838, Chronicles of the
Canongate, second series i in 1839, Anne of Glolentein ; and in 1831, a fourth
aeries of Tales of my landlord, in four Toloroes, containing two tales, respec-
tively entitled Count Robert of Paris, and Castle Dangerous. The whole of
these novels, except where otherwise specified, oensisted of three volumes, and,
with those formerly enumerated, make up the amount of his fiotilioos prose
compositions to the enormous sum of seventy-four volumes.

Throughout the whole of his career, boUi as a poet and novelist. Sir Walter
was in the habit of turning aside occasionally to less important avocations of a
literary character. He was a contributor to the Edinburgh Review during the
first few yean of its existence. To the Quarterly Review, he waa a consider,
able eontribotor, especially for the last five or six years of Ms life, during
which the work was conducted by his son*in-law, Mr Lockhart. To the Sup*
plement of the sixth edition of the Encydopttdia Britannica, he contributed
the articles Chivalry, Romance, and the Drama. In 1818, he wrote one or
two small proee articles for a periodical, after the manner of the Spectator,
which was started by his friend Mr John Balkntyne, under the title of '< The
Saleroom," and was soon after dropped for want of encouragement In 1814,
he edited the Works of Swift, In nineteen volumes, with a life of the auUior.
In 1814, Sir Walter gave his name and an elaborate introductory essay to a
woik, entitled ** Border Antiquities," (two volumes, quarto,) which consisted of
engvaringt of the principal antique objects on both sides of the Border, accom-
panied by descriptive letter-press* In 1815, he made a tour of Franoe and
Belgium, visiting the scene of the recent rictory over Napoleon. The result
VTBi a lively traveller's volume, under the title of " PauFs Letters to his Kins-
folk,'* and a poem, styled ** The Field of Waterloo.'* In the same year he
joined with Mr Robert Jamieson and Mr Henry Weber, in composing a quarto
on IceUndic Antiquities. In 1819, he published ** An Account of the Regalia
of Scotland," and undertook to furnish the letter-press to a second collection of
ongrarings, under the title of ** Provincial Antiquities and Pictmreeque Scenery
of Scotland,'* one of the most elegant books which has ever been published re*
specting the native country of the editor.

In the year 1830, the agiUted state of the eoontry was much regretted by Sir
Walter Scott ; and he endeavoured to provo the absivdity of the popular exdte-
nent in fovoor of a more extended kind of parliamentary representation, by
three pepen, whidi he inserted in the Edinburgh Weekly Journal newspaper,

236 SIR WALTER SCOUT, BART.

under the title of " The VUionary.'* However well intended, these were not
by Any meant Imppy tpeciment of political diiquitition. Sone months after-
wards, It was deemed neosssary by a few Tory gentlemen and kwyeity to
establish a newspaper, in which the more violent of the radical prints should be
met upon their own grounds^ To this aasociation Mr Soott subscribed, and, by
means partly furnished upon his credit, a weekly journal was commenced, under
the title of *' The Beacon.** As the scurrilities of this print inflicted much pain
in very respectable quarters, it sank, after an existence of a few months, amidst
the general execrations of the commuQity. Mr Scott, though he probably never
contemplated, and perhaps was hardly aware of the guilt of the Beacon, nas
loudly blamed for his connexion with it.

In I8d3, Sir Walter published '< Tririal Poems and Triolets, by P. Carey,
with a Preface;** and, in 1833, appeared his dramatic poem of *^ Halidon Hill.**
In the succeeding year, he contributed a smaller dramatic poem, under the title
of ** MaoAiatfM Cross,'* to a collection of Miss Joanna Baillie. The sum of his
remaining poetical works may here be made up, by adding ** The Doom of
Derorgoil/' and ** The Audiindrane Tragedy,*' which appeared in one volume
in 1830. It cannot he said of any of these compcsitions, that they have made
tlie least impremion upon the publia

The great success of the earlier noveb of Sir Walter Soott had encounged
his publishers, Messrs Archibald Constable and Company, to give large sums for
those works ; and, previous to I83i, it was understood tliat the author had
spent from fifty to a hundred thouaand pounds, thus acquired, upon his house
and estate of Abbotsford. During the months which his official duties permitted
him to spend in the country— that is, the whole of tlie more genial part of the
year, from March till November, excepting the months of May and June — he
kept state, like a wealthy country gentleman, at tliis delightful leat, where he
was visited by many distinguished penons from England, and irora the conil-
nent. As he scarcely ever spent any other hours than those between seven and
eleven, A.11., in composition, he was able to devote the greater part of the morn-
ing to country exercise, and the superintendence of his planting and agricul-
tural operations ; while the evenings were, in a great measure, devoted to his
guests. Almost every day, he used to ride a considerable distance — sometimes
not less than twenty miles — on horseback. He also walked a great deal ; and,
lame as he was, would sometimes tire the stoutest of his companions.

Among the eminent persons to whom he had been recommended by his
genius, and its productions, the late king George IV. was one, and not the
least warm in his admiration. The poet of Marmion had been hononred with
many interviews by his sovereign, when prince of Wales and prince regent ;
and his majesty was pleased, in March, 1830, to create him a baronet of the
United Kingdom, being the first to whom he had extended that honour after
his acceuion to the crown.

In 1883, when his majesty visited Scotland, Sir Walter found the duty im-
posed upon him, as in some measure the most prominent man in the country, ol
acting as a kind of master of ceremonies, as well as a sort of drsgoman, or me-
diator, between the sovereign and his people. It was an occasion for the re-
vival of all kinds of historical and family reminiscences ; and Sir Walter's ac-
quaintance with national antiquities, not less than his univenally honoured cha-
racter, caused him to be resorted to by innumerable individuals, and many
respectable public bodies, for information and advice. On the evening of the
14th of August, when his majesty cast anchor in Leith Roads, Sir Walter ScoU
went out in a boat, commissioned by the lanm of Sootlamd, to welcome the king^
and to present his majesty with an elegant jewelled croM of Si Andrew, to be

SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART. 237

worn on hit hroaat, at a nalional •rablem. When the kinf wai informed of
Sir Walter's approach, he exclaimed^ *' What! Sir Walter ScoU? The man in
Scotland I moit with to seel Let him come opJ' Sir Walter accordingly
atcended the thip, and was preaented to the king on the quarter-deck , where
be met with a moat gracioiu reception* After an appropriate speech, Sir Wal-
ter presented his gift, and then knelt and kissed the king's hand. Me had
afterwards the honour of dining with his majesty, being placed on his right
hand. Throughout the whole proceedings connected with the reception and re-
sidence of the king in Scotland, Sir Walter Scott bore a very conspicuous part

Sir Walter Scott had now apparently attained a degree of human greatness,
such as rarely falls to the lot of literary men ; and he was generally considered
as haringy by prudence, fairly negatired the erils to which the whole class are al-
most prorerbially subject It was now to appear, that, though he had exceeded
his brethren in many points of wisdom, and really earned an unusually large
sum of money, he had not altogether secured himself against calamity. The
bookselling house with which he had all along been diiefly connected, was one
in which the principal partner was Mr Archibald Constable, a man who will
long be remembered in Scotland for the impube which he gare by his liberality
to the literature of the country, but at the same time for a want of calculation
and prudence, which in a great measure neutralized his best qualities. It is
difficult to anrive at exact information respecting the connexion of the author
with his publisher, or to assign to each the exact degree of blame incidental to
him, for the production of their common ruin. It appears, however, to be as-
certained, that Sir Walter Seott, in his eagerness for the purchase of land, and
at the same time to maintain the style of a considerable country gentleman,
incurred obligations to Messn Constable and Company, for money or accep-
tances, upon the prospect of worlcs in the course of being written, or whicli the
author only designed to ^vrite, and was thus led, by a principle of gratitude, to
grant counter-acceptances to the bookselling house, to aid in its relief from
those embarrassments, of which he was himself partly the cause. It is impossi-
ble otherwise to account for Sir Walter Scott having incurred liabilities to the
crediton of that house, to the amount of no less than <£79,000, while of iu pro-
fits he liad not the prospect of a single farthing.

On the failure of Messn Constable and Company, in January, 1836, Messrs
Ballantyne and Company, printers, of which firm Sir Walter Scott was a part-
ner, became insolvent, with debts to the amount of £103,000, for the whole
of which Sir Walter was, of course, liable, in addition to his liabilities for
the bookselling house. It thus appeared that the most splendid literary re-
venue that ever man made for himself, had been compromised by a connexion,
partly for profit, and partly otherwise, with the two mechanical individuals con-
cerned in the mere bringing of his writings before the world. A per-oentnge
was all that these individuals were fairly entitled to for their trouble in putting
the works of Sir Waller into shape ; but they had absorbed the whole, and
more than the whole, leaving both him and themselves poorer than they were at
the beginning of their career.

The blow was endured with a magnanimity worthy of the greatest mriter of
the age. On the very day after the calamity had been made known to him, a
friend accosted him as he was issuing from his house, and presented the con-
dolences proper to such a melancholy occasion.

** It is very hard,*' said he, in his usual slow and thoughtfvl voice, ** thus to
lose all the laboun of a lifetime, and be made a poor man at last, when I ought
to have been otherwise^ But if God grant me health and strength for a few
years longer, I have no doubt that I shall redeem it all."

233 SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART.

The principal autU which he could preMot agmiMt Um large diihni now
made upon him, were the nanaion and groundi of Abbotrfwd, which he had
entailed upon hu son, at the nanciage of that ymng yeatlenaB fee MiM iobeon
of Lochore, hut in a aaaner new found HMralidy and which were hardened hy a
bond for £lO»OOa He had abo hie house in Edinhuyh, and the forokure of
both maniionf. Hia oreditoie propoeed a oompoiltion ; hut his ho n s wa bie na-
ture> and perhape a senee of repirtation, prevented hin firnn lisfeening to any
such sdieme. '' No, gentlemen/' said he, quoting a Cifwurit* Spanish preveih,
*' Time and I against any twa Allow me tine, and I will endeaYOur to pay
alL" A trust-deed was» aocordinglyy executed in favour of certain gentlemen,
whose duties were to receive the funds realieed by our anthor^s kbeun, and
gradually pay ofTthe debts, with interest, by inetahneata. He likewise insured
his life, with the sanction of hia trustees, ler the sum of £99,000, by which a
pod-obH interest to that amount was secured to his owditon. He was the bel-
ter enabled to carry into execution the schensea of retreachaent which he had
resolved on, by the deatli of Isdy Scott, in May, 1896. Her ladyship bad
born to him two sons and two daughters ; of the latter of whcns, the elder had
been married, in 1880, to Mr J. G. Lodchart, advoaUe.

Sir Walter was engi^r«d, at the time of his bankn^tcy, in the eompeution of
a Life of Napoleon Bonaparte, which was originally desigwed to fill only four
volumes, but eventually extended to nine. In the autumn, of 1896, he paid a
visit to Paris, in company with his youngest and only unnmrried daughter, in or-
der to acquaint himself with several historical and local details, requisite for the
work upon which he was engaged. On this occasion, he was received with
distinguished kindnem by the reigning monarch, Charles X. llie ** Liie of
Napoleon" appeared in summer, 1 897 ; and, though too bulky to be very po-
pular, and perhaps too hastily written to bear the teat of rigid critidem, it was
understood to produce to iU auUior a sum little short of £19,000. This, with
other earnings and accessory resources, enabled him to pay a dividmsd of aix
shillings and eightpence to his creditors.

Till Uiis period. Sir Walter ScoU had made no avowal to the pnblie ef his
being the author of that long series of prose fictioaa, which had for aenm yean
engaged so much of public attention. It being no lo ng e r pessible to preserve
his incognito, he permitted himself, at a dinner for the benefit of the Ediabufgh
Theatrical Fund, February 93, 1897, to be drawn into a disdesmm of the
secret On his health being proposed by lord Meadoiifaank, aa the '' Grsat
Unknown,'* now unknown no longer, he adwowkdged the oesnpliment in suit-
able terms, and declared himself, unequivocally, to be the aole author of what
i were called the Waverley Novels.

About the same time, the copyright of all his post novels was bro«^ to thu
hammer, as part of the bankrupt stodc of Memrs Constable and Company. It
\)as bought by Mr Robert Cadell, of the kite firm of Archibald ConsUble and
Company, and iitho was now once more engaged in the bookselling business, at
j&8,400, for the purpose of republishing the whole of these delightful woiks in
a cheap uniform series of volumes, illustrated by notes and pre£Mes, and
amended in many parts by the finishing touches of the author. Sir Waker or
his creditors were to have half the profits, in consideratioB of hia lite-
rary aid.

This was a most fortunate design. The new edition began to appesv in
June, 1899; and such was iu adapUtlon to the public convenience, and the
eagerness of all ranks of people (o conlribute in a way convenient to themselves
towards the reconstruction of the author^s fortunes, that the sale soon reached
an average of twenty-three thousand copies. To give the reader an idea of the

SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART. 238

magnitude of this concern — speaking oonnerdally — it may be stated that, in
the mere production of the work, not to speak of iu sale, about a thousand
penons, w nearly a hundredth part of the popuktion of Edinburgh, wete sup-
ported. The author was now efaiefly employed in preparing these narratires
for the new imp wss ien ; bat he nevsrtheless found time oocasiooally to produce
original worksL In Noyember, 1828, be published the first part of a juyenile
History of Scotland, under the tide of " Tales of a Gmndiather,*' being ad-
dressed to his grandchild, John Hugh Loekhait, whom he typified under the
appeUation of Hugh Litllejohn, Es^ In 1839, appeared the second, and in
1830, the third and concluding series of this charming book, which fairly ful-
filled a half-sportire sxpression that had escaped him many years before, in
the company of his diildrsn_tbat ** he would yet make the history of Scotland
as /amiliar in the nurseries of England as lulkOiy ihymes." In 1830, he also
contributed a graver History of Scotbnd, in two rolumes, to the periodical woik
called '^Lardner"^ Cabinet CyetopsBdia." In the same year, appeared
his Letters on Demondogy and Witdicraft, as a volume of Mr Murray's " Fami^
ly Library ;'» and, in 1831, he added to hie Tales of a Grandfather, a uniform
series on French history. In the same year, two sermons which be had writ-
ten a considerable time before, for a yomg clerical friend, were published by
that indiTidiial in London, and, as specimens of so great an author in an extras
ordinary line of oon^sition, met with an extensire sniew

The profile of these varhMis puUieattona, but especially his share of the
profits of the new edition of bis novels, enabled him, towards the end of the
year 1830, to pay a dividend of three shillings in the pound, which, but for
the accumulation of interest^ woaki have reduMd his debU to nearly one-hal£
Of £64,000 which had now been paid, all except six or seven thousand had
been produced by his own literary hiboura; a fact which fixes the revenue oi
his intellect lor the last four er five years at nearly £10,000 a^year. Besides
this sum. Sir Walter had also paid up the premium of the policy upon his life,
which, as already mentioned, secnred a pott obit interest of £93,000 to his
cieditorsL On this ooeasieo, it was suggested by one of these gentlemen, (Sir
James Gibson Craig,) and inunediately assented to, that they should present to
Sir Walter personally the library, manuscripts, curiosities, and pkte, which had
onoe been his own, as an a«^owledgment of the sense they entertained of his
honomrable conduct.

In November, 1830, be retired iron his ofHce of principal dark of session,
with the soperannuacion allowance' usually given after twenty*three years' ser-
vice. £arl Grey ofiered to make up the allowance to the full salary ; but, from
motives of delicacy, Sir Walter firmly declined to accept of such a favour from
one to whom he was opposed in poUtios.

His health, from his sixteenth year, had been very good, except during the
years 1818 and 1819, when he sufiered under an illness of such severity as to
turn Ills hair quite grey, and send him out again to the world apparently ten
years older than before. It may be mentioned, however, tliat this illness,
though accompanied by very severe pain, did not materially interrupt or retard
his intellectual laboursi He was only reduced to the necessity of employing an
amanuensis, to whom he dictated irom his bed. The humorous clmracter,
Dugald Dalgetty, in the third series of the Tales of my Landlord, and the splen-
did scene of the Siege of Torquilston in Ivanhoe, were created under these cir-
cumsUinces. Mr William Laidlaw, his factor, i\ho at one time performed the
task of amanuensis, has described how he would sometimes be stopped in the
midst of some of die most amusing or most elevated scenes, by an attack of
pain — which being past, he would recommence in the same tone at the point

240 8IB WALTER SCOTT, BART.

where he bad left oflT, and lo on for day after day^ lUI the noT«I waa
finished.

It happened yery nnfortunately, that the lOTeve tatk which he impoeed opon
himself, for the parpoee of discharging bit obligatione, came at a period of life
when he was least able to acooroplisli it. It will hardly be belieTed that, e?en
when to far occupied with hie official duties in town, he seldom permitted a day
to pass orer his head withoat writing as much as to fill a sheet of print, or six-
teen pages ; and this, whether it was of an historical nature, with of course the
duty of consulting dtomients, or of fictitious matter spun from the loom of his
fancy. Although this labour was alleriated in the country by considerable
exercise, it nerertheleM must hsTO p re ss e d soYerely upon the powers of a man
nearly sixty b^ y^^^f ^nd fully seventy by constfftirfon. The reader may
judge how strong must have been tliat principle of integrity, which could com-
mand such a degree of exertion and self*denial, not ao much to pay debts con*
tracted by himself, as to dischaige obligations in whidi he was inYolred by
others. He can only be likened, indeed, to the generous elephant, which,
being set to a task above its powers, perfonned it at the expense of life, and
then fell dead at the feet of lU master.

His retiremeni from official duty nught have been expected to relieve In
some measure the pains of intense mental application. It was now too late,
however, to redeem the health that had fled. During the sttcceeding winter,
symptoms of gradual paralysis, a disease hereditary in hia family, began to be
manifested. His contracted limb becaodo gradually weaker and more painful,
and his tongue lem readily obeyed the impulse of the will. In March, 1831,
he attended a meeting of the freeholders of the county of Roxbuigh, to aid in
the expremion of disapprobation, with which a majority of those gentlemen de-
signed to visit the contemplated reform bills. Sir Walter was, as already
hinted, a aealous Tory, though more from sentiment, peihaps, than opinion,
and he regarded those regenerating measures as only the conunenoement of the
ruin of his country. Having avowed thia conviction in very warm language, a
few of the individuals present by courtesy, expressed their dissent in the usual
vulgar manner ; whereupon he turned, with anger flashing in his eye^^with
him a most unwonted passion-*4Uid mid, that he cared no more for such ex-
pressions of disapproval than he did for the hining of geese or the braying of
asses. He was evidently, however, much chagrined at the reception his
opinions had met with, and in returning home waa observed to shed tears.

During the summer of 1831, the symptoms of his disirder became gradually
more violent ; and to add to the distress of thoae around him, his temper, for-
merly so benevolent, so imperturbable, became peevish and testy, insomuch
that his most familiar relatives could hardly ventore, on some occaaions, to ad-
dress him. At this period, in >vriting to the editor of the present woik, he
thus expressed himself:—

" Although it is said in the nenapapen, I am actually far from well,
and instead of being exercising («fc), on a brother novelist, Chateaubriand,
my influence to decide him to raise an insurrection in France, which is the
very probable employment allotted to me by some of the papeis, I am keeping
my head as cool as I can, and speaking with some difficulty.

*' 1 have owed you a letter longer than I intended, but write with pain, and
in general use the hand of a friend. I sign with my initials, as enough to eX"
pre$9 the poor half of me that it left. But I am still much yours,

«« W. S."

Since the early part of the year, he had, in a great measure, abandoned tho
pen for the purposes of authorship. This, however, lie did with some difficultyi

SIR WALTER SCOTT. BART.

341

and it if to bft feared that he reemned it more freqoently than be ought to ba?e
done. ** Dr Aberaromby," lays he, in a letter dated March 7, " threatona me
with death if I writo ao mudi ; and dte, I auppoie, I muat, if I give it up sud«
denly. I niuit aaaiat Lodthart a little, for yoa are aware of our ooDoexion,
and he haa always ahowed me the dultea of a aoa ; but, except that, and my
own naoeHary work at the edition of the Waverley Noreb, aa they call them,
I can hardly pretond to put pen to paper ; for after all this aame dying ia a
ceremony one would put olTaa long aa poaaible."

In tiie autumn, hia phyaidatta reeommended a reaidenee in Italy, as a meana
of delaying the appraachea of hia illneaa. To thia adienie he felt the strongest
repugnance, aa he feared he should die on a foreign aoil, far from the moun-
tain-land which waa ao endeared to hiniaelf, and whidi he had done so mudi to
endear to othera ; but by the interrention of some frienda, whose adrice he had
been accustomed to respect from hia earlieat yeara, he waa prevailed upon to
comply. By the kind officea of captain Basil Hall, liberty waa obtained for
him to sail in his majeaty's ship the Barham, wbidi waa then fitting out for
Malta.

He aailed in thia toswI from Portsmooih, on the 87th of October, and on
the 87th of December landed at Naplea, where he waa reoeiYed by the king
and his court with a feeling approaching to homage. In April, he proceeded
to Bome, and was there received in the same manner. He inspected the re-
mains of Roman gfandenr with some show of interest, but waa observed to mark
with a keener feeling, and more minute care, the relica of the more barbarous
middle ages ; a droumstance, in our opinion, to have been predicated from the
whole strain of hia writings. He paid vislta to Tivoli, Albani, and Freacati.
If any thing could have been effectual in te-illuming that lamp, which waa now
beginning to pale ita mighty lustrea, it might have been expected that Mt
would have been the ground on whidi the mirade was to take place. But he
was himself conedous, even amidst the flatteriea of hia friends, that all hopes of
this kind were at an end. Feeling that hia strength waa rapidly decaying, he
determined upon returning with all possible speed to his native country, in or-
der that his bones might not be laid (to user the language of his own favourite
rainstreky) ^' far from the Tweed." Hia journey waa performed too rapidly
for his strength. For six daya he travelled seventeen houra a-day. The con-
sequence was, that in passing down the Rhino he experienced a severe attack
of his malady, whidi produced complete insenaibility , and would have inevitably
carried him off, but for the pretence of mind of hia servant, who bled him pro-
fusely. On hia arrival in London, he waa conveyed to the St Jamea*s Hotel,
Jermyn Street, and immediately attended by Sir Henry Halford and Dr Hol-
land, as well aa by his son-in-law and daughter. All help was now, however,
useless. The diaeaae had reached nearly its moat virulent stage, producing a
total insenaibility to the presence of even hia moat beloved relatives —

*• omni

Membronim damno major, dementia, quSB nee
Nomina senrorum, nee vultum agnoscit amid."

After reaiding for some weeks in London, in the receipt of every attention
whidi filial piety and medical skill could bestow, the expiring poet desired that,
if possible, he might be removed to his native land^to his own home. As
the case was reckoned quite desperate, it was resolved to gratify him in his dying
wish, even at the hazard of accelerating his dissolution by the voyage. He
accordingly left London on the 7th of July, and, arriving at Ne\\ haven on the
evening of the 9th, was conveyed with all possible care to a hotel in his na-

242

SIH WALTER SCOTT, BART.

tif« city. Ahw tpendiBg two nights and a day la Edinbofgh, he m
on the morning of tho 1 Ith, to AbboHfofd.

That intonae love of homo and of country, which had urged hit f«tiim from
the continent, hero leened lo diepel for a moment tho cloudi of the mental at^
moepheio. In deaoending tho Tale of Gab, at tho boUom of which the view of
Abbotiford lint opem , it was found difiicult to keep him quiet in his carriage,
ao anxiout was ho to rear himielf up, in order to catch an early gliropie of tho
beloTod loene. On airiTing at hii houae, he hardly recognised any body or any
thing. He looked mcantly on all the objecU that met hia gase, except the welU
remembered viaage of hia friend Laidlaw, whose hand he afftctionatoly pressed,
murmuring, " thai mow he know dial he wm at Abbotsford.* He was here aU
tended by moat of the membeia of hia fiunily, indoding Mr Lockhart,^hile the
general auperintandence of hia deafli-bed (now too cerUinly such) was oommttted
to Dr Ciaricson of Melroae. He was now arrived at that mebncholy state, when
the friends of the patient can form ao more afftctionato wish than that death
may atop in to daim his own. Yet day alter day did the remnanU of a robust
constitution continue to hold out against the gloomy foe of life, until, notwith-
standing every ofibrt to the contrary, mortification commenced at seTonil pans
of the body. This was about twel?e days before his demise, which at length
took place on the Hist of September, (1839^ the principles of life having been
by that time ao thoroughly worn out, that nothing remained by which pain
could be either experienced or expressed. On the 96th, the illustrious deceased
waa Inaled in an aisle in Dryburgh abbey, whidi had belonged to one of his an-
oestori , and which had been given to him by the bte earl of Budian.

Sir Walter SootI waa in stature above dx feet ; but, having been lame from
an early period of life in the right Hmb, he sank a little on that side in ^ralk-
ing. His perMm waa, in latter life, bulky, bat not corpulent, and made a grace-
ful appearance on horsebadc Of his featnrea, it is needless to give any parti-
cular descriptioo, as they must be Ikmiliar to every reader through the medium
of the innumerable portraits, busts, and medalliona, by whidi they have been
commemorated. Hia complexion was fiiir, and the natural colour of his hair
sandy. The portrait, by Raebum, of which an engraving was prefixed to the
Lady of the Lake, givea the best rep r eaentotion of the poet, as he appeared in
the prime of life. The bust of Chantry, taken in 1890, aflbrds the most faith-
ful delineation of hia features aa he was advandng into age. And his aspect, in
his sixtieth year, when age and reflection had more deeply marked his coun-
tenance, is most admirably preserved in Mr Watson Gordon^s portrait, of which
an engraving ia prefixed to the new edition of his novels. There is, likewise, a
very faithful portrait by Mr Leslie, an American artist

Sir Walter Scott possessed, in an eminent degree, the power of imagination,
with tho gift of menMNy. If to this be added his strong tendency to venerate
past things, we at once have the most obvious features of his intellectual charac-
ter. A desultory oourM of reading had brought him into acquaintance with
almost all the fictitious literature that existed before his own day, as well as the
minutest points of British, and more particularly Scottish history. His easy
and familiar habits had also introduced him to an extensive obserration of tho
varieties of human diaiacter. His immense memory retained the ideas thus
acquired, and his splendid imagination gave them new shape and colour. Thus,
his literary character resU ahmost exdusively upon his power of combining and
embellishing past evenU, and hia skill in delineating natural diaracter. In
early life, aoddent threw hia ons into the shape of verse — in later life,

into prose ; but, in whatever form they appear, the powers are not much difie-
rent The same magician ia still at work, re-awaking the figures and events of

HSKRT 8COIT0A£w

24S

hiitoiyy or tketehkig the diaraeten whksh w« evwy day sm aronnd im^ and in*
TWtingf the whole with the light of a aoat extraoidiiiary fancy.

It ia by far the greataat glory of Sir Walter Scott, that he ihone equally as a
good and Tirtuous man, at he did in hii capacity of the firtt fictitiom writer of
the age. Hie behaTiour through life wai marked by underiating integrity and
purity. Hit character aa a huiband and father is altogether ineproacfaable.
Indeed^ in no single relation of life does he appear liable to bhune, except in the
facility with which he yielded his iortunes into the power of othen^ of whoa he
ought to haTO stood quite independent. laying this imprudence out of riew, his
good sense» and good feeling united, appear to have guided him aright through
all the diffioulties and temptations of life. Along with the most perfect upright-
ness of cspducty he was chavacterieed by extraordinary simplicity of manners.
He was inrariably gradous and kind, and it was impomible ever to detect in
his conrenation a synq^tom of hft grounding the slightest title to consideration
upon his literary fame, or of his eren being conscious of it

By dint of almost incredible exertions. Sir Walter Scott had reduced the
amount of hb debu, at the time ef his decease, to about £90,000, exdusire of
the accumulated interest On the 89th of October, a meeting of his creditors
was called, when an offer was nmde by his family of that sum against the ensu-
ing February, on condition of their obtaining a complete discharge. The
meeting was very numerously attended, and the proposal was accepted without a
dissentient voice. In addition to the resolution accepting the offer, and directing
the trustees to see the acceptance carried into eflect, the following resolution
was moved and carried with a like unanimity : —

** And while the meeting state their anxious wish that every creditor, who is
not present, may adopt the saaM resolution, they think it a tribute juatly due to
the memory of Sir Walter Soott, to express, in the strongest manner, their dee(
sense of his most honourable conduct, and of the unparalleled benefits which
they have derived firom the extraordinary exertion of his unrivalled talents, un-
der misfortunes and difficulties, which would have paralyied the exertions of
any one eke, but in him only proved the greatness of mind whidi enabled him
to rise superior to them.**

SGOUGAL, HrniST, a theologual writer of considerable eminence, was
bom in the end of June, 1650. He was descended of the family of the Scou-
gals of that ilk, and was the son of Patrick Soougal, bishop of Aberdeen,
from 1664 to 1688; a man whoso piety and lemming hare been comme-
morated by bishop Burnet Hie son Henry is said to have early displayed
symptoms of those talents for which he was afterwards dktlnguished. We are
told by Dr George Garden, that ** he was not taken up with the plays and lit-
tle diversions of those of his age ; but, upon such occasions, did usually retire
(rem them, and that not out of suUennem of humour or dulnem of spirit, (the
sweetness and serenity of whose temper did even then appear,) but out of a stoyed-
ness of mind, going to some privacy, and employing his time in reading, prayer,
and such serious thoughts, as that ag^ was capable of."^ Tradition has asserted
that Soougal was led to the study of theology, in the hope of finding in it a
balm for dimppointed affections ; and this is in so far countenanced by the
toner of several passages of his writinga. Another cause, however, has been
aisigned, and apparently on better authority. ** Being onre in a serious refleo*
tion what course of life he shouhi take, he takes up the Bible, to read a portion
of it ; and though he was always avene to the making a lottery of the Scrip-
tons, yet he could not but take notice of the first words which he cost his eyes

* A SennaD preached at the Funeral of the reverend Henry Scougnl, M. A.
[Gcoige Garden], D. D., p. «66.

By G. G.

244

HENRT SOOUOAL.

upoDy and whidi niwle no gmall impririop on hit spirit : ' By -wliat mrnxm
shall A young man learn to purify hia way f By takia|r hoed thereto according
to thy word.* " On hit fathet^t election to the lee of Aberdeen ^Scougal en-
tered as a student at King** college t1iere» of whtdi uniTerstty his father was dian-
ceitor. He seems to haye taken the lead of his fellow students in almost OTory
department of science ; and, in addition to the usual branches of knowledge
pursued in the unirersityy to hare acquired a knowledge of some of the Orien-
tal tongues. Immediately on taking his degree, he was selected to assist one of
the regents in the inatruction of his class; and the next year, 1669, he w^s, at tlte
early age of nineteen, appointed a professor. His Immature age was probably
incapable to preserfe order in his class ; at all erenti, tnmuks and insubordina-
tion broke forth among his students, of whom so many were expelM from the
college, that he scarce had a dan to teach. His office of regent, which was
thus inauspicioosly commenced, he held but M four years, haring at the end of
that time accepted the pastoral charge of the parish of Auditerless, in Aberdeen-
shire. He retained this charge no losiger than a twelremonth, and, in 1674,
was appointed professor ef dirinity in the King's college ; a chair which had
shortly before been filled by the celebrated John Poiiies of Corse, and more
lately by William Douglas, the learned author <tf the ** Academiarum Vindicia,''
and other works. As was customary in that age, Scougal printed a thesis on
his accession to the divinity chair : this tract, whidi is stiU presenred and highly
priied, is entitled, *^ De Objecto cultus Religiosi.**

In 1677, appeared " The Life <l God in the Soul of Man, or the Nature and
Excellency of the Christian religion." This work, to which Scougal's modesty
would not permit him to prefix his name, was edited by bishop Burnet, who
appended to it a tract called ** An account of the Spiritual Life,** supposed to
be written by himself. In the prefiitory notice, Burnet states of tlw author,
** tliat the book is a transcript of those divine impreaslons that were upon his
otrn heart, and that he has ivritten nothing in it but what he himself did well
feel and know.** The wofk passed at once into that extensive popularity and
high reputation it has ever since enjoyed. BeforO 1787, it had gone through
five editions, the last under the superintendence of the Society for promoting
Christian knowledge. In 1735, it was again reprinted with the addition of
'* Nine Discourses on Important Subjects,'' and Dr Garden's funeral sermon ; and
in 1740, another edition appeared, with some ** Occasional Meditations,^ not
previously published. Since that period editions have multiplied rery rapidly.
In 179S, it was translated into French, and publi^ied at the Hague. Scougal
survived the publication of his work for no longer than a twelvemonth. At the
early age of twenty-eight, he died on the 13th <^ Jone, in the year 1678, and
was interred on the north side of the chapel of King's college, where a tablet
of black marble, bearing a simple Latin inscription was erected to his memory.
He bequeathed a sum of Awt thousand merks to augment the salary of the pro-
feisor of dfrinity in the univeruty, and left his books to the college library.
A portrait of Scougal is preserved in the college hall, and the countenance
breathes all that serene composure, benevolence, purity, and kindness which so
strikingly mark his writings. Besides the works which have been mentioned,
Scougal left behind him in manuscript various jurenile essays, and some Latin
tracts, among which are " A short System of Ethics or Moral Philosophy ;*»
** A PreserTative against the Artifices of the Romish missionaries,*' and a frag-
ment '' On the Pastoial Cure." This hut work was designed for the use of
students in divinity and candidates foot holy orders. None of the least beautiful
or remarkable of his works is '* The Morning and Evening Service," which he
composed for the Cathedral of Aberdeen, and which is characterized by a spirit

HENRY SCRIM6EB.

245

of fervid derotioDy and a deep and singular eleradon of thoaght, and lolemnitj
of diction.

SCHIMGER, Henrt, a learned person of the sixteenth century, iras the son
of Walter Scrlmger of Glasswell, who traced his descent from the Scrinigers or
Scrimzeort of Dudhope, constables of Dundee, and hereditary standard-bearers
of Scotland. The subject of this memoir was bom at Dundee in 1506, and re-
ceived the rudiments of his education in the grammar school of that town, where
he made singular proficiency both in the Latin and^ Greek languages. He af-
terwards went through a course of philosophy in the university of St Andrews
with great applause. From thence he proceeded to Paris to study civil law.
He next removed to Bourges, where he studied for some time under Baro and
Duaren, who were considered the tivo greatest lawyers of the age in which they
lived. Here he formed an acquaintance with the celebrated Amiot, who at
that time filled the Greek chair at Bourges, and through his recommendation was
appointed tutor to the children of secretary Boucherel. In this situation, which
he filled to the entire satisfaction of his employers, Scrimger became acquainted
with Bernard Bcenetel, bishop of Rennes, ifho, on being appointed arobassadoi
from the court of Franoe to some of the states of Italy, made choice of him for
his private secretary With this dignitary he trsvelled through the greater
part of that interesting country, and waa introduced to a great many of its most
eminent and learned men. While on a visit to Padua, he had an opportunity
of seeing the notorious apostate Francis Spira, of whose extraordinary case he
wrote a narrative, which was published along with an account of the same case
by PetruB Paulus Virgerus, Mattheus Gribaldus, and Sigismundus Gelous, under
the following title " The history of Franciscus Spira, who fell into a dreadful
state of despair because, having once assumed a profession of evangelical truth,
he had afterwards recanted an^ condemned the same, most faithfully written by
four most excellent men, together with prefaces by these illustrious men Gaelius
S.G. and John Calvin, and an apology by Petrus Paulus Virgerus, in all
which, many subjects worthy of examination in these times are most gravely
handled. To which is added the judgment of Martinus Borrhaus on the im-
provement which may be made of Spira*s example and doctrine, 8 Pet. 2» ' It
had been better for them not to have known the way of life,'" &c. The book
is written in Latin, but has neither the name of printer, nor the place, or date
of printing. It was, however, probably printed at Basil in the year 1550 or
1551. Deeply afiected with the case of Spira, Scrimger determined to sacri-
fice all the prospects, great as they were, which his present situation held out to
him, and to retire into Switzerland, where he could profess the reformed religion
without danger. It appears that he shortly after this entertained the idea of
returning to Scotland ; but, on his arrival in Geneva, be was invited by the
syndics and magistrates of the city to set up a profeuion of philosophy for the
instruction of youth, for which they made a suitable provision. Here he con-
tinued to teach philosophy for some time. A fire, however, happening in the
city, his house was burnt to the ground with all that was in it, and he was in
consequence reduced to great straits, though his two noble pupils, the Bucherels,
no sooner heard of his misfortune than they sent him a considerable supply of
money. It was at this time that Ulrich Fugger, a gentleman possessed
of a princely fortune, and distinguished alike for his learning and for his vir-
tues, invited him to come and live with him at Augsburg till his affairs could
be put in order. This generous invitation Scrimger accepted, and he lived with
his benefactor at Augsburg for a number of years, during which he employed
himself diiefly in collecting books and manuscripts, many of them exceedingly
curious and valuable. Under the patronage of this amiable person he ap-

246

HENRT SCRIM6ER.

pean alto Co have oompoaed aafwral of hit tnalitaty whidi ho nturned to Genera
to hare printed. On hit arriral, the maglttratet of that city importuned him to
retume hit chna for teaching philoaophy. With thit requett he ooroi^iedy and
continued again in Geneva for two yeart, 1563 and 1 564. In the year 1565,
he opened a tehool for teaching ciril law, of whidi lie had the honour of being
the fint profefltor and founder in Geneva. Thit clatt he continued to teach till
hit death. In the year 1573, Alexander Young, hit nephew, wat tent to him
to Geneva, with lettert from the regent Marr, and George Buchanan, with the
latter of whom he had been long in termt of intimacy ; reqoeating him to re-
turn to hit native country, and promising him every enoouiagement.

Buchanan had before repeatedly written to him, preiting hit return to hit
native country, in a manner that tuffidently evinced the high etteem he enter-
tained for him. The venerable old tcholar, however, could not be prevailed
on to leave the peaceful retreat of Geneva, for the stormy toenet which were
now exhibiting in hit native country ; pleading, at an apology, hit yean and
growing infirmitiei. The letten of Buchanan, however, were the meant of
awakening the ardour of Andrew Melville, (who wat at that time in Geneva,
and in the habit of viaiting Scrimger, whoae litter wat married to MelviUe*k
elder brother,) and turning hit attention to the ttate of learning in Scotland, of
which, previotttly to thit period, he doci not teem to have taken any particular
notice.

Though hit life bad not patted without tome vidtiitudet, the latter dayt of
Scrimger appear to have been tuffidently eaty at to ciroumttanoea. Betidet the
houte which he pottetted in the city, he had alto a neat villa, which be called
the Violet, about a league from the town. At thit latter place he tpent the
mott of hit time, in hit latter yean, in the company of hit wife and an only
daughter. The period of hit death teemi to be tomewhat uncertain. Thuanua
tayt he died at Genera in the year 1571 ; but an edition of hit novela in the
Advocatet' library, with an intcription to hit firiend, Edward Uerriton, dated
1573, it sufficient evidence that thit it a roittake. George Buchanan, however,
in a letter to Chrittopher Plaintain, dated at Sthrling in the month of November,
1573, tpeakt of him at certainly dead ; to that his death nuitt have happened
either in the end of 1573, or the beginning of 1573.

The only work which Scrimger appean to have publithed, besides the ao
count of Spin, which we have already noticed, wat an edition of the Koveila
ConsiUtdiones of Juttinian, in Greek ; a work which wat highly prised by the
first lawyen of the time. He alto enriched the editioni of leveral of the das-
tics, published by Henry Stephens, with variout readings and remarki. (Voin
hit preface to the Greek text of Uie Novellts, it it evident that Scrimger in-
tended to publith a Latin translation of that work, accompanied with annota-
tions ; but, from tome unknown cause, that design wat never accomplished.
Mackenzie infomit ut, that, though he came with Uie highctt recommendations
from Ulrich Fugger to Stephens, who wat, like Scrimger, one of Fuggev^s pen-
tionen, yet* from an apprahension on the part of Stephens, that Scrimger in-
tended to commence printer himself, then arose such a difference between them,
that the republic of letten wat deprived of Scrimger *s notes upon AthensDUs,
Slrabo, Diogenet Laertiut, the Baailics, Fhornuthut, and Palopphatus ; all of
which he designed that Stephens thould have printed for him. llie most of
these, according to Stephens, after Scrimger's death, fell into the handa of Inuus
Gataubon, who published many of them at hit own. Cataubon, it would ap-
pear, obtained the use of his notes on Strabo, and applied for those on Polybiua,
when he published his editions of these writers. In his letten to Peter Young,
who wot Scrimger's nephew, and through whom he appean to have obtained the

JAMES SHARP. 3i7

use of th«se papers, he speakt in high ternu of their great merit ; but he has
iK»t been candid enough in his printed works, to own the extent of his obliga-
tions. Buchanan, in a letter to Christopher Plaintain, informfl him, that Scrim-
ger had left notes and obserrations upon Demosthenes, Eusebius's Ecclesiastical
Hittory, and many other Greek authors ; as likewise upon the philosophical
works of Gioero : all which, he infonns his correspondent, were in the hands of
Serimger*s nephew, the learned Mr Peter Young ; and being well worth the
printing, should be sent him, if he would undertake the publication. Plaintain
seemf to hare declined the offer ; so that the NorellsD and the Account of Spirai
are all that remain of the learned labours of Scriroger, of whom it haa been
aaid, that no man of his age bad a more acute knowledge, not only of the La-
tin and Greek, but also of the Oriental languages. His library, which was one
of the most Taluable in Europe, he left by testament to his nephew, Peter
Toung, who was Buchananls assistant in the education of James VI., and it wai
brought orer to Scotland by the teetator^s brother, Alexander Scrimger, in the
year 1573. Besides many Taluable books, this library contained MSS. of great
ralue ; but Young was not a very enthusiastic sdiolar ; and aa he was more in*
tent upon advancing hia personal Interests in the world, and aggrandizing his
family, than forwarding the progress of knowledge, they probably came to but
small account

The testimonies to Scrimger's worth and merits, by his contemporaries, are
numerous. Thuanns, Casaubon, and Stephens, with many others, mention his
name with the highest encomiums. Dempster says he was a man inde&tigable
in his reading, of a most exquisite judgment, and without the smallest particle
of Tain-glory. And the great Cujanus was accustomed to say, that he nerer
parted from the company of Henry Scrimger, without baring learned something
that he never knew before.

SHARP, Jamss, archbishop of St Andrews, was the son of William Sharp,
sherifl^erk of the shire of Banff, by his wife, Isobel Lesly, daughter of Les-
ly of KininToy, and was bom in the castle of Banff, in the month of May,
1613. His parents seem to haYe been industrious and respectable in the class
of society to whidi they belonged ; his father following his calling with dili-
gence, and his mother, though a gentlewoman by birth, assisting his means by
setting up a respectable brewery at Dun, which she appears to hare conducted
creditably and profitably to the day of her death. The subject of this memoir,
probably with a riew to the church, where, through the piUronage of the earl
of Findlater, which the fiunily bad long enjoyed, a good benefice might be
supposed attainable, was sent to the unirersity of AbenAeen. But the disputes
between Charles I. and his parliament baring commenced, and the prelatic form
of the church being totally overthrown in Scotland, he took a journey into
England ; in the course of which he visited both the universities, where he was
introduced to several persons of distinction. He had, however, no oflTers of
preferment ; but, findinjf tlie church of England ready to follow that of Scot-
land, he addressed himself to the celebrated Mr Alexander Henderson, tlien in
England as a commissioner from the Scottish church, and enjoying a very high
degree of popularity, from whom he obtained a recommendation for a regent*s
place in the university of St Andrews, to which he was accordingly admitted.
Mr James Guthrie was at this time also a regent in the college of St
Andrews, but whether suspecting the sincerity, or undervaluing the talents
of Mr Sharp, he gave his whole favour to Mr John Sinclair, an unsucceuful
candidate for the regent^s place which Sharp had obtained, and to whom,
when called to the ministry, he afterwards demitted his professional chair. It
was with this circumstance, not improbably, that the opposition began which

248 JAMES SHARP.

continued between Mr Guthrie and Siiarp throughout the whole of their after
liret. With Mr Sinclair^ now hii co-regent, Mr Sharp seema alto for lome time
to hare lired on rery bad terms, and eren to hare gone the length of striking
him at the college table on the erening of a Lord's day in the presence of the
]»rincipal and the other regents. For this outrage, however, he appears to
hare made a most ample acknowledgment, and to hare been sincerely repent-
ant Mr Sharps contrition attracted the notice and procured him the good
graces of serenl of the most highly gifted and respected ministers of the Scot-
tish churchy particularly Mr Robert Blair. Mr Samuel Rutherford, an eminent
Christian, and a person of the highest attainments in practical reli^on, was so
much struck with what had been related by some of the brethren respecting
Mr Sharp's exercises of soul, that, on bis coming in to see him on his return from
a distant mission, he embraced him most afleotionately, saying, ** he saw that out of
the most rough and knotty timber Christ could make a reisel of mercy." With
the brethren in general Mr Sharp also stood on high ground, and at the request
of Mr James Bruce, minister of Kingsbams, he was, by the earl of Crawford,
presented to the church and parish of CraiL On his appointment to this charge
Mr Sharp began to take a decided part in the management of the external
affiiivs of the church, in which he displayed singular ability. His rapidly in-
creasing popularity in a short time procured him a call to be one of the minis-
ters of Edinburgh, but his transportation was refused, both by the presbytery of
St Andrews and the synod of Fife. It was at length ordered, howerer, by an
act of the General Assembly ; but the Inrasion of the English under Cromwell
prerented its being any further insisted in. In the disputes that agitated the
Scottish church after the unf(Miunate battle of Dunbar, the subject of this
memoir, who was a stanch resolutioner, was the main instrument, according to
Mr Robert Baillie, of carrying the question against the Protesten. His conduct
on this occasion highly enhanced his talents and his piety, and was not impro-
bably the foundation upon which his whole after fortune was built In the
troubles which so speedily followed this event. Sharp, along with several other
ministers and some of the nobility, was surprised at Elliot in Fife by a party
of the English, and sent up a prisoner to London. In 1657, he was deputed
by the Resolutioners to proceed to London to plead their cause with Cromwell
in opposition to the Protesters who had sent up Messrs James Guthrie, Patrick
Gillespie, and others, to represent the distreaiMd state of the Scottish church,
and to request, that an Assembly might be indicted for determining the contro-
versies in question, and composing the national disorders. From the state ol
parties both in Scotland and England, and from the conduct which Cromwell
had now adopted, he could not comply with this request, but he seems to have
set a high value upon the commissioners ; to have appreciated their good sense
and fervent piety, and to have done everything but giant their petition to
evince his good-will towards them. They, on tlie other hand, seem not to have
been insensible either to his personal merits, though inimical to his govern-
ment, or to that of some of the eminent men that were about him. This uas
terrifying to the Hesolutioners, who saw in it nothing less than a coincidence
of views and a union of purposes on the part of the whole protesting body with
the abhorred and dreaded sectaries. " Their [the leading protesters*] piety and
seal,** says Baillie, " is very susceptible of schism and error. I am oft afraid of
their apostasy ;*' and, after mentioning with a kind of instinctive horror their
praying boUi in public and private with Owen and Caryl, he adds with exulta-
tion, " the great instrument of God to cross their evil designs has been that very
worthy, pious, wise, and diligent young man, Mr Jnmes Sharp.** It ivas part of
the energetic policy of Cromwell, while he was not dependent on the party

JAMES SHARP. 249

whom he farouredy not to offend the other, and the miagion had little efTect^ ex-
eept that of preparing the way for Sharp to asgume one which he made moi«
adfantageoua to himself.

AfVer the death of Oliver Cromwell^ and while Monk was making hiif
memorable march to England, the presbyterians sent to him Darid Diclcson and
Hobert Douglas, accompanied by a letter, in which, expressing their confidence
In whateTer measures he should propose regarding Scotland, they suggested the
propriety of his having some one near his person to remind him of such mat-
ters as were necessary for their interest, and requested a pass for Sharp, as a
person qualified for the duty. Monk, who had in the mean time requested
Sharp to come to him, wrote an answer, addressed to Messrs Dickson and
Douglas from Ferry-bridge, to the following effect : — *' 1 do assure you, the well-
fare of your church shall be a great part of my care, and that you shall not be
more ready to propound than I shall be to promote any reasonable thing that
nay be for the advantage thereof, and to that end I have herewith sent you oo-
coiding to your desire a pass for Mr Sharp, who the sooner he comes to me
the more welcome he shall be, because he will give me an opportunity to show
him how much I am a well-wisher to your church and to yourselves,'* &c. This
was dated January 10th, 1660, and by the 6th of February,' Sharp was
despatched with the following instructions : " 1st. You are to use your utmost
endearoun that the kirk of Scotland may, without interruption or encroachment,
enjoy the freedom and privilege of her established judicatories ratified by the
laws of the land. Snd. Whereas by tlie lax toleration that is established, a
door is opened to a very many gross errors and loose practices in this church,
you shall therefore use all lawful and prudent means to represent the sinfulness
and ofiensiveness thereof, that it may be timeously remedied. Srd. You are
to represent the prejudice this church doth suffer by the interverting of the
vaking stipends, whicli by law were dedicated to pious uses, and seriously en-
deavour that hereafter vaking stipends may be intermitted with by presbyteries
and such as shall be warranted by them, and no others, to be disposed of and
applied to pious uses by presbyteries according to the twentieth act of
the parliament 1644. 4tb. You are to endeavour that ministers lawfully called
and admitted by presbyteries to the ministry may have the benefit of the thirty-
ninth act of the parliament, intituled act anent abolishing patronages for
obtaining summarily upon tlie act of their admission, decreet, and letters con-
form, and other executorials to the effect they may get the right and possession
of their stipends and other benefits without any other address or trouble. If
you find that there will be any commission appointed in this nation for settling
and augmenting stipends, then you are to use your utmost endeavours to have
faithful men, well affected to the interests of Christ in this churdi employed
therein.'* As the judicatures of the church were not at this time allowed to sit,
these instructions were signed by David Dickson, Robert Douglas, James Wood,
John Smith, George Hutchison, and Andrew Ker, all leading men and
all Retolutioners. He was at the same time furnished with a letter of recom-
mendation to^Monk, another to colonel Withiim, and a third to Messrs Ash and
Calam J, to b^ shown to Messrs Manton and Cowper, and all others with whom
they might think it proper to communicate, requesting them to afford hun eveiy
assistanoo that might be in theur power for procurbg relief to the 'enthralled
and afflicted' ohurch of Scotland* Sharp arrived at London on the ISth of the
monthi and next day wrote hie oonstituenta a very favourable account of his
reception by Monk, who had already introduced hun to two parliament mea,
Mr Weaver^ and the afterwarda celebrated Anthony Ashley Cowper^ earl of
Shaftesbury. Monk himself also wrote the reverend gentlemen two days after, the
IT. SI

250

JAMBS SHAKP.

lOthy in the raott aainily ityld {magtnable. BIr Sharp, he nys, ib dear to
Um as hU good friend, but much more haTing their re cwnm e u dation, and be
cannot but receire hiin aa a miniiter of Christ and a messenger of bis chnrdi •
and he assures them that he will improve bis interest to the utmost for the
preserration of the rights of the church of Scotland, and their afflicted country,
which he professed to lore as his own gospel ordinnnees, and the priYileget of
God's people he assured them it should be his care to establish ; and he im*
plores their prayers for God*s blessing on their counsels and undertakings, en-
treating them to promote the peace and settlement of the nations, and do what
in them lies to compose men^ spirits, that with patience the fruit of hopes and
prayers may be reaped, && This language answered the purpose for which it
was uttered, and Robert Douglas in a few days acquainted Sharp with the re-
ceipt of his own and the general*s letter, desiring him to encourage the general
in his great woik for the good of religion and peace of the three nations. ** For
yourself," he adds, ** you know what hare been my thoughts of this undertaking
from the beginning, which I hare signified to the general himself, thoogh I was
sparing to renture my opinion in ticklish matters, yet I looked upon him as
called of God in a strait to put a check to those who would hare ran down aU
our interests^'' Not satisfied with expreesing his feelings to Sharp, Mr Douglas
wrcte Monk, thanking him for his kind reception of Sharp, and encouraging
him to go on with the great work he had in hand, adding, in the limplicity of
his heart, ** I hare been^rery much satisfied from time to time to hear what good
opinion your lordship entertained of presbyterial goremment, and I am confi-
dent you shall nerer hare just cause to think otherwise of it,** — an expression sug-
gested by the information of Sharp, who had represented Monk as fiiroorable
to a liberal presbyterian goremment.

Sharp had, preriously to all this, settled with Glencalm, and otheif of tbe
Scottish nobility, who hated the aererity of the presbyterian discipline, to orer-
throw that form of goremment, and to introdooe episcopacy in its place ; in
other words, he was disposed to assist whaterer religious party offered the great-
est bribe to his ambition. It was natural that he should conceal his intentions
frt>m his employers. Accordingly, in a series of letters to Mr Douglas, and the
otiiers from whom he derired his commission, written in the months of Feb-
ruary, March, and April, he occasionally regrets, in suitable terms, the peril of
the suflering ohnroh : at other times holds forth glimpses of hope ; and at all
times explains the utility and absolute necessity of his own intetferenoe in its
behalf. During the course of thie oerrespondence, he declines becoming
minister of Edinburgh, (a lituation to which there seem to hare again been
intentions of calling him,) baring perhaps preriously secured a charge of
more dignity. On the twenty-serenth of the month, he again writes to Mr
Douglas, wishing to be recalled ; and informing him, that hit sermon on the
coronation of Charles II. at Scone, with the account of that ceremony, had been
reprinted at London ; and that it gare great offence to the episcopal party,
which, he sayt, does not nrach matter; but tbe declaration at Dunfermline, bear*
ing the king's acknowledgment of the blood shed by his father^ house, is what
he knows not how to excuse. He and Lauderdale, howerer, are represented as
endearouring to rindicate SeotUnd, for treating with the king upon the termi
of the corenant, from the necessity which England now finds of treating with him
upon terms before his return ; and he says he is reported, both here and at Bras-
sels, to be a rigid Scottish presbyterian, making it his work to hare presbytery
settled in England. He adds, with matchless effrontery, ** they sent to desire
me to more noUiing in prejudice of tlie church of England ; and they would do
nothing in prejudice of our church. I bid tell them, it was not my employ

JA.MES SHABF.

251

ment to move to tbe prej>idiee of any party ; and I thought, did thoy roally
mind th6 peace of tbofe churches, they would not itart itidi propotitioiie : bat
all who pretend to be for ciril settlement, would contribute tlieir endearouie to
restore it, and not meddle unseasonably witli those remote causes. The fear of
rigid presbytery is talked much of here by all parties; but, for my part, I ap-
prehend no ground for it. I am afraid tliat something else is like to take place
in the church, than rigid presbytery. This nation is not fitted to bear that
yoke of Christ ; and for religion, I suspect it is made a stalking horse still.*'
In a letter, prerious to this, Mr Douglas had informed him, Uiat Ihose in Soot-
land who loved religion and liberty, liad their fears, that, if the king came not
in upon the terms of the solemn league and covenant, his comio^f in would be
disadvantageous to religion and the liberties of tlie three natioM ; and he ex-
horted Crawford, Lauderdale, and Sharp, to deal, with all earnestness, that the
league and covenant be settled, as the only basis of the security and happiness
of ihese nations. On the reception of the last we have ^poted from Sharp, we
find Douglas again addressing his treacherous messenger, and, in the purest sim-
plicity, providing him with some of those arguments in defence of pvesbytery,
which it is probable Sharp well knew. The deceiver answered, that he found
it at that time utterly impossible to return, as the general would eomnunicate
on Scottish aflairs with no one but himself; and tlie Seots had nethtng t»do but
he quiet, and their afiiun wouhl be done to their hand ; he and Lauderdale
having agreed, with ten preebyterian ministers, on the necessity of bringing in
tlie king upon covenant terms, and taking off the prejudices that lie upon some
presbyterians against them. Two days afterwards, he says, '' The Lord having
opened a fair door of hope, we nuiy look for a settlement upon the grounds oi
the covenant, and thereby a foundation laid for security against the prelaticand
iaaatic assaults : but I am dubious if this shall be the result of the agitations
now OB foot" « We intend,'' he adds, <' to puhlish some letters from the
French protestant ministers, vindicating the king from popery, and giving him
a hu^e character. The sectaries will not be able to do anytliiag to prevent
the king's coming in. Our honest presbyterian brethren are cordial for binu I
liave been dealing with aome of them, to send some testimony of their a/Tecticm
for him ; and, yeeterniglit, five of them promised, within a week, to make a
shift to send a thousand pieces of gold to him. I continue in ny opioii^n, that
Scotland should make no applications till the king come in. I have received
letters from Mr Brace at the Hague, and the king is satisfied that SeoUand keep
%ulet»" " No notice," he writes in another letter, ^ is taken of Scotland in
the treaty : we shall be left te the king, which is host for ns. God save us
fAom divieione and selfeeeking. I have acquainted Mr Bruce how it is with
you, and what you are doing ; and advised him to guard against Middleton's
designs, and these who sent that Murray ever to ttie king. If our noblemen,
or others, &11 upon fiictious ways, and grasp after pUees, they will east reproach
upon their country, and fiiU short of their ends. I fear the interest of the so-
lemn league and covenant slwll be neglected ; and, for religion, I smell that
moderate episeopney is the fairest accommodation whidi moderate men, who
wish well to religion, expect. Let our noble friends know what you think of
it.*' This first decided breathing of his intentions was answered by Douglas
with modenation and good sense. He wislies Monla might grant permission for
him to go over to the king, to give a true representation of the state of matters.
*' I fear," says he, '' Mr Brace hath not sudldent credit for us. If the solemn
league and covenant be neglected, it seems to me that the judgment on these
nations is not yet at an end. The greatest security for the king and these n»-
iions» we>e to come u npon that bottom.** Before this eould reach Sliarp,

.252 JAMES SHARP.

hoiv«yer, it had been concerted, ai he writes to Mr Donglas, between him and
Monk, that he ahould go orer to the king, ** to deal with him, that he may
write a letter to Mr Gahimy, to be communicated to the preibyterian miniaten,
showing his resolution to own the godly sober party, and to stand for the true
protestant religion, in the power of it : and, withal, he [Monk] thinks it fit I
were there, were it but to acquaint the king with the possages of his undertak-
ing, known to Mr Douglas and to me, and to tell him of matters in Scotland. He
spoke to me three sereral times this week; and now I am determined to go; I hope
I shall do some service to the honest party here, and, indeed, to ours at home.
If you think fit to write to the king, the sooner the better.*' On the 4th of May
he %Trites, that he could not go ofl^ to Breda till that day. ** The pretbyterian
ministers of the dty,^ he adds, " after sereral meetings, hare resolred to send
orer next week some ministers from the city, Oxford and Cambridge, to congra-
tulate the king ; and I am desired to acquaint the king wiUi their purpose, and
dispose for their reception : or, if it be practicable that he would write to both
houses, by way of prevention, that they would secure religion, in regard to
some points. Some particulars of secresy the general [Monk] hath reconunend-
ed to me, and given orders to transport me in a frigate. I have got a large
letter to the king, and anoUier to his prime minister. Providence hath ordered
it well, that my going carries the face of some concernment in reference to
England ; but I shall have hereby the better access and opportunity, to speak
what the Lord shall direct as to our matters, and give a true information of the
carriage of business. I think I need not stay ten days. It will be best to ad-
dress the king by a letter. Presbyterians here are few, and all are English-
men ; and these will not endure us to do anything that may carry a resem-
blance to pressing uniformity. For my part, I shall not be accessory to anything
prejudicial to the presbyterian government; but to appear for it in any other
way than ii within ray sphere, is inconvenient, and may do harm, and not good."
Mr Douglas lost no time in preparing instructions for Sharp, and a letter to the
king, which he forwarded on the 8th of the month, with the following letter:^
" I perceive by all that you write, that no respect will be had to the covenant
in this great transaction, which, if neglected altogether, it fears me that the
Lord will be greatly provoked to wrath. It will be the presbyterians* fault, if
they get not as much settled, at least, as was agreed upon by the synod of
divines, and ratified by parliament: for I perceive that the king will be most
condescending to the desires offered by the parliament: but I leave that.
However our desires may l>e for uniformity in doctrine, wonhip, discipline,
and government, if they will not press it themselves, we are firee. Your great
errand will be for this kirk. I am confident the king will not wrong our
liberties, whereunto himself is engaged. He needs not declare any liberty to
any tender consciences here, because the generality of the people, and whole
ministry, have embraced the established religion by law, with his majesty's con*
sent It is known that in all the times of the prevailing of the late party in
England, none petitioned here for a toleration, except some inconsiderable,
naughty men. Whatever indulgence the king intends to persons who have
failed under the late revolutions, yet he would be careful to do it so, as they
shall be in no capacity to trouble the peace of the land, as formerly they did.
I doubt not but you will iaform the king of the circumstances and condition of
our kirk. It is left wholly upon you to do what you can, for the benefit of
this poor distracted kirk, that the king's coming may be refreshful to the honest
party here, since no directions from us can well reach you before you come bade
to London.'- This letter enclosed a set of instructions for Sharp, similar to those
he had already received, equally formal, though extending to some things lets

JAMES 8HABP. 253

particular^ daied in th§ former ; and was acconpanied by a letter to the
kiog, which, alter the uaisal formaltiiet of oongratulation, continued in these
terns : — '^ But now since it hath pleased God to open a door (which we have
long desired) for our brother, Mr Sharp, to come and wait upon your majesty,
we could not any longer forbear to present, by him, this our humble address,
in testimony of our loyal aflection to your majesty, and our humble acknowledg-
ment of the Lord^s goodness to these your dominions in this comfortable reTO>
lution of affairs, making way for your majesty's reinstalment. If it had been
expedient in this juncture of aflUrs, your miyesty might have expected an ad«
dren from the genenlity of the ministers of this church, who, we assure your ma-
jesty, hare continued, and will continue in their loyalty to authority, and the
maintenance of your just rights, in their stations, according to those principles
by which your majesty left them, walking in opposition both to enemies from
without and disturbers from within ; but doubting that such an application is
not yet seasonable, we hare desired Mr Sharp to inform your majesty more
fully of the true state of this church, whereby we trust your majesty will per-
ceiTe our painfulness and fidelity in these trying times ; and that the principles
of the church of Scotland are such, and so fixed for the preservation and main-
tenance of lawful authority, as your majesty needs never repent that you have
entered into a covenant for maintaining thereof So that we notiiing doubt of
your majesty's constant resolution to protect this church in her established pri-
vileges ; and are no less confident, (though we presume not to meddle without
our sphere,) that your majesty will not only hearken to the humble adrwses of
those who are concerned, but will also, of your own royal inclination, appear
to settle the house of God, according to his word, in all your dominions. Now,
the Lord himself bless your majesty ; let his right hand settle and establish you
upon the throne of your dominions, and replenish your royal heart with all
those graces and endowments neceisary for repairing the breaches of these so long
distcacted kingdoms, that religion and righteousness may flourish in your reign,
the present generation may blew God for the mercies received by you, and tlie
geneiations to come may reap the fruits of your royal pains. So pray, &c,
Robert Douglas, David Dickson, James Hamilton, John Smith, and George
Untcheson.^ This letter was dated May the 8th, the same day with Sharp's
instructions, and a double of it was enclosed for himself; but he kept this, and
a similar one sent him by the earl of Rothes, on the 10th, till after the king's
arrival in England, when everything was settled, and Sharp assured of being
archbishop of St AndrewSi This indeed was the sole object of hia journey to
Breda, where he was recommended to the king by a letter from Monk, as a fit
person for establishing episcopal government in Scotland ; and by a letter from
lord Glencairn, he was recommended in a similar manner to Hyde, afterwards
earl of Clarendon.

It is almost unnecessary to mention that, in tim whole transaction, it does not
fall to our lot to record any occasion in which Sharp performed the instructions
of his mission, or the duty for whidi he was paid by those whose simple leal
exceeded either their means or their discernment. On the Snd of June, Sharp
writes Mr Douglas, that he had presented their letter ; that the king, having
read some part of it, and looked at tlie subscriptions, told him he was glad to
see a letter under their hands ; and that he would consider it, and return an
answer at an after period. In this letter, which is long and desultory, he seems
frequently to think, without absolutely deciding, that it is time to terminate his
connexion with his employers, by extinguishing their hopes. '' I shall never,"
he tells them, ** espouse the interest of any person or party ; 'tis our common
interest to keep an equal way with all who mind the good of kirk and country.

2Si JAMIS 8HABP.

Cetnentliig and frmmg will be mar mmtcy^ and dividing mora «ar vtpncMb
than w« an awan of. Tbo kiag halh allowod tho aobloman vriio m hera, te
moot and coMult wImI is proper to bo offiiod te'tlio good of the naUoB. Thoj
meot on Moaday. It m ia Wo beart to l oetoto to u» our libovtiot and prM.
kgei, if our folly do not aMV it." ** Tbo laAiioncing wmm of tbe poubytariaa
judgaient,^ be addf, ** are coBtent witb epitoopoey cf biabop Usbev'i made],
aiid a lituigy aoaiewllat coneeted. A knowing miniittr told om tbit day, tbat
If a synod tbould be eaUed* by a pbmlity of ineuaibenls, dwy woald iafallibiy
carry epiieopaey. There are many noroiBaly few real pveaby tenant. Tbe
caasodc men do awana hera ; and aach wbo aee m ed before to be for preabylacy,
uould be eontont of a moderate ei«acopacy. We rnuat leave tbia ia tbo Lead's
bandy wbo may be pleaaed to praierve to ua, wbal be faatb wroogbt forua. I
aee not wbat uae I can'be any longer here. 1 wlah my neck were out of Ibe
cellar. Some of our ceuntryaMo go to tbe eommoa prayer. All matteie ava
devolved into the hands of the king, in wheae power ii ia to do abaelatoly wbat
he pleaaea in ehurdi and atato. Hie heart ia in bia handr upon whom are our
eyea.** The very mme day he writea a letter to Mr Deuglaai upon whom there
waa a deaign at courts to draw over by the bribe of a biabopricy thai it weva
well if be would oome up to London, whore hia preaenoe ndght be of graat uti-
lity ; at the aome time be forbida any other ; and aaaurae then, that if they
come, they will be discountenanced, and give awpicion of driving a diaeUiging
deaign. *^ I find our praabytorhm firieada quito taken off their feet; and wbat
they talk of ua, and oar help, b merely for their own enda. They atick not to
aay that, had it not been for the vehemency of tim Seota, Memra Hendeamn,
Gillespie, dfc, aet forma had been contimied ; and they were never againal
them. The king and grandeea are wholly for epiacepacy. Tbe epkoepal men
are very high. I beaaech you, Sir, dedine not to coom up. It will be neeea*
aary for you to come and apeak with hia amjeaty, for preventing of iU^ and
keeping oar noblemen here right.''

The oonaequenoe of hia conwm n ieat i on, wbieh naiat have been alarming, waa a
more diatinct direction aa to hia dutiee, which did not reach him at a tiase whew be
waa much diapoaed to attend to aueh suggeatioML In hia anawer be lapte eea
his employers for thtur violence, and, atUi uwwilkng entirely to reveal himaaU^
eontinues, ** I apptehend it will come to wediing. Howwter, the high carriage
of tbe episcopal men gives great dimatirfnction, the Lord may permit them thoa
to lift up themaehrea that theieby they may meet with a mos« efiectual cbadc
I hear Leighton ia here in town in private." Tbe anmeae of DeugfaM waa in
more diatinct terma of suspicion, mentioning those oircumataaoaa of danger
gathering round the diurch, tbe eaiatenee of which he to wimm ha waato kiww
too well. Sharp atill equivocated, and looked to epiaoapaoy aa a thing to be
dreaded, but which he feared could not be avoided. In hia return in Angnaty
he brought the king'a celebrated letter to Deugkw and the peeabytery of £dio>
burgh, whidi in coafbrauty with the policy pnraoed by Sharp and hia frieada,
bore, *' We do also reeolve to paotecl and preaerve the gOfommenl of the
church of Scotland, ae it ia aettled by law, without riolation, and to oonntenanoe
io the dae exercise of tlieir functions all auch mialaters who shall behave them-
selves datifuUy and peaoaably aa beeoama awn of their calliag. We wUl alao
teke care that Uie authority and acU of the Geneaal Aaaembly ai St Andrewa
and Dundee, 1651, be owned and atond in force untUwe shall call aaothea
Geneial Assembly (which we pnrpoee to do aa soon aa emr afiurs will pensi^
and we do intend to aend for J!^ Robert Douglas, and aome other anniatem^
that we may speak with them ia what amy forthev ooncern the aifiun of that
churdi. And aa we are very well satisfied with your reeolution not to meddle

JAKES SHAKP.

255

without your tpbere, to vf% do expect that church judicatertes io Sootland and
aiinitten there will keep within the conpait of their atatioiiy meddlinf only
with matten eodeaiaetic, and promoting our authority and interest with our
ittlijecti againet all oppoten^ and tlMt they will take ipeoial notiee of such who
by preaching! or private oonventidei^ or any other way traasgraM the limits of
their calling by endearouring to corrupt the people or sow seeds of disaflSsctian
to ua or our gor emment." The simple enthusiasm with which this document
was reoeived, by those who were aocuitomed to give plain meanings to ordinary
wonky is well known. In the synod of Fife, which met at Kirkaldy, Mr John
Macgilly Mr Alexander Wedderbum^ and some others^ contended for introduc-
ing the coTenaat into their letter of thanks, '^ as the bond which, while it bound
both king and aubjscts to God, did also tie them to one another." This diww
frosn 8harp a k»Bg speediy in which he had asany oblique reflections upon the
oorenanty which he with some truth alleged eould not be mentioned to his roajasty
without OKfliting hie displeasurau He further in justiication of his majesty af-
firmed that *^ there was not a man in England would ovrn that eevenant stive Mr
Ash, an old man, whose one foot was already in the grave,** and so great wns
hie inffaienoe that he carried a plurality of the synod along with him, and the
covenant of duty waa set aside for the oonventional one of go(»d manners. A
vote of thanks to Mr Sharp was also carried in this synod for his faithfulness
and painstaking in the affalm of the chnrch. At the dismissal of the synotl, Mr
William Row coming in contact widi Sharp at the door, laid hold of his
doak, and inquired how he could aArm in the face of the synod that no man
in England owned the covenant but Mr Ash, when Mr Crofton had just come
ftclh in print in behalf of its perpetual obligation, to which Sharp made no
other reply than that he knew Mr Crofton a little knuck^ body, just like Mr
Henry WiUiamsL Though eminently suooessful in his endeavoun, Sliarp still
kepi the mantle of hypocrisy closely drawn around him, and was elected pro-
fSsseor of theology in the college of St Andrews, where he had formerly been
profeaser of philoaophy. He was keenly opposed by the principal, Mr Samuel
Butherford, who had nrnde an eariy discovery of his true character, and coidd
never be brought to countenance him. Mr Rutherford, however, nas a Pro*
teiter, his Lex Rex had been condemned to the flames by the committee of es-
tatea, and he mm confined to his own house by sickness^ and Sharp had the
saUafactien of amisting at the burning of his book at the gate of his college.
He died soon afmr or he might have shared the fiUa of his book.

The oomautlee of estates which sat down in Auguat, 1060, and the parliament
whidi followed, commenced the wild work of tyranny, which so darkly character*
iaes the period. When preJacy was established by royal proclamation in the montli
of August, 1661, Mr Sfaavp, who had been the principal agent in this melan-
choly overturning, wea now rewarded with the primacy of Sootland, and was
calM up to London, along with Fairfoul, appointed to the see of tilssgow,
Hamilton to that of Galloway, and Leighton to that of Dunblane, to receive
episcopal ordination. Sharp nmde some objections against being re-ordained,
but yieUed \vkmi he found it wns to be insisted on, a circumstance which made
Sheldon, biabop cf London, say, he followed the ScoU' ftshion, which naa to
scruple at everything, and to ewalknv' anything. The other three yielded at
onee^ and they were all four on the 16th day of December, 1661, before a
great concourse of Scottish and English nobility in the chapel of Westminster,
mniaiaed preaching deacons, then presbyten, and lastly consecrated bishops.
In the month of April they retmmed in great state to Scotland, where in the
foUoHsng month they proceeded to consecrate their ten brethren, the parlia-
having delayed to ait till they should be ready to take their seat& We

256

JAMES 8HAEP.

migltt have renuked, that on (be pariiimient poning the act rednory^ Sharp
affi)Cted oonoem tuflicieiit to qualify him for a now miMion, which aAbrdod him
an opportunity of perfocting what bo had already eo fiir adTanoed, and ended
in his now exalted lituation of primate of all Scotland. Well might Burnet
■ay of the Scottish ministeri, ^ poor men, they were so struck with Uie ill state
of their affairs that they had neither sense nor courage left them.*' Sharp, '
when made archbishop of St Andrews* affirmed that he had only accepted of it,
seeing the king would establish episcopacy, to keep it out of more riolent
hands, and that he might be able so to moderate matters that good men might
be saved from a storm that oiherwise could not hare failed to break upon
them. No sooner had he the reins of eodesiaitic government in his hands
than a proclamation was issued, forbidding any clergymen to meet In a presby-
terial capacity till such time aM the bishops had settled the order of procedure
in them, and he was so rery moderate in his measures, that of his co-presbytera
of St Andrews, he spared only three old men who were nonconformists, and
these were spared not without great difficulty. Nor did his elevation, which
he had attained with so much infiimy, content him ; besides the dignity of the
diurdi, he loved that of the state^ and in the diffidences that fell out between
Lauderdale and Middleton he narrowly escaped a liill with the latter. He
had been prevailed on to write to the king that the standing or falling of Mid-
dleton would be the standing or fiiUing of the church, and he went up to Lon-
don to support him personally. When he came to London, however, and saw
how much Middleton had fallen In the estimation ot the king, be resolved to
make great concessions to Lauderdale, and when the latter reproached him
with his engagements with Middleton, he boldly aveired that he had never
gone farther with him than what was decent, considering his post That he had
ever written to the king in his behalf, he totally denied. But Charles had
given Lauderdale the prelate's letter. When It was shown to the writer he fell
a- weeping, and begged pardon in the most abject manner, saying *' what could
a company of poor men refuse to the earl of Middleton, who had done so much
for them, and had them so entirely In his power." Lauderdale, upon this, said
he would forgive them all that was past ; and would serve them and the church
at another rate than Middleton was capable of doing ; and Sharp became wholly
Lauderdale^s. In 1663, he went up to court to complain of the chancellor
Qlencaim and the privy coundl, when he said there was so much remissnem
and popularity on all oocssions that, unless some more spirit was put into it, the
cliurdi could not be preserved. On this occasion he obtained an order
for establishing a kind of high commission court, a useful instrument of oppres-
sion, and proonred a letter to the council directing that in future the primate
should take the place of the chancellor, which so mortified Glenoaum that he is
said to have in consequence caught the fever of whidi he died. Sharp, who
now longed for the chancellonhip, wrote Immediately to Sheldon, bishop of
London, that upon the disposal of this place the very being of the diurch d«*
ponded, and begging that he would prea the king to allow him to oome up be-
fore he gave away the place. The king, who by this time had conosived m
great dislike for Sharp, bade Sheldon assure him that he would take care the
phuse should be properly filled, but that there was no occasion for his oonuog
up. Sharp, however, could not restrain himself, but ventured up. The king
received him coldly, and asked if he had not had the bishop's letter. He ad«
mitted that he had, but he chose rather to venture on his mi^iesly^ disj^eaiure
than see the churdi ruined through his caution or negligence. ** In SooUand
they had but few and cold friends, and many riolent enemies. His nMuest/a
protection and the execution of the law were all they had to depend on, and

JAlfES 8HAHP.

m

these depended so much upon the chAncellor, that he could not ainwer to God
and the churchy if he did not bestir himself in that matter. He knew many
thought of him for that poit^ but he was so far firom that thought, that if his
majesty had any such intention he would rather choose to be sent to a planta*
tion. He desired that he should be a churchman in heart but not in habit,
that should be called to that trust." From the king he went straight to Shel-
don , and begged him to more the king to bestow it upon himself, furnishing
him with many arguments in support of Uie proposal, one of which was that
the late king had raised his predecessor, Spottiswood, to that digpiity. Sheldon
inored the king accordingly with more than ordinary ferrour; and the king,
suspecting Sharp had let him on, charged him to tell the truth, which he did,
though not without a great deal of hesitation. The king told him, in return,
the whole affair. Sheldon prayed him to remember the archbishop and the
church, whaterer he might think of the mnn, which the king graciously asMured
him he would do. Sheldon told Sharp he saw the motion for himself would* be •
ineffectual, and he must think of some one elie. Sharp tlien nominated
Bothes, who was appointed accordingly; and with a commiisioa to prepare
matters for a national synod, to settle a book of common prayer and a book of
canons. Sharp returned to Scotland, baring assured the king that now, if all
went not well, either Kothet or Lauderdale must bear the blame.

In another risit to court, along with Rothes, he endearoured to undermine
the influencis of Lauderdale ; but that bold and unhesitating roan did not flinch
from his arermenti, whether true or false, and compelled him publicly to re«
tract them. Nor was he more successful in an overture to join with Middleton,
in supplanting his riraL His terrors on the rising at Pentland, rendering him
anxious for an increase of troops, he recommended the fines to be applied
that way, by which many of the caraliers, who looked to thai fund, were disap*
pointed in their expectations, and became his mortal enemies. Lauderdale,
too, to complete his disgrace, procured a number of letters, written to the pres-
byterians after he had negotiated for the introduction of episcopacy, and gare
them to the king, who locked on him erer after as the worst of men. Dur*
ing the rising at Fentland, Sharp was the principal administrator of the govern-
ment ; in which iitiution, the cruelty of nature, and insatiability in rengeanoe,
which he displayed, are well known. After this period, he was so much dis-
liked at court, (while he was a neoesnry instrument,) that, in 1667, he Was or-
dered to confine himself to his own diocese, and come no more to £dinburglu
With the indulgences, the comprehension, &c. Sharp had little connexion,
except in narrowing their eflbct. In the month of July, 1668, as he was going
into his ooach in daylight, he was fired at with a pistol loaded with a brace of
bullets : but his life ivas saved by Honeyman, bishop of Orkney, who, lifting
up his hand to step into the coach after him at the time, received the shot in
his wrist, which caused his death a few years afterwards, the wound never hav-
ing healed. So universally was Sharp hated, that when the cry wai made that
a roan had been shot in the street, the reply was insuntly made, that it was
only a bishop, and not a single individual offered to lay hold on the perpetra-
tor of the deed. The court, however, took some compassion on him in this ex-
tremity, and he was repaid for his feait by a little gleam of favour. The person
who committed the daring act, Mr Jamea Mitchel, was afterwards seized, and,
upon a promise of life, confessed, what it was impossible for his enemies to
prove, he having no associates in the affair. That promise, however, was vio-
lated,^ and Mitchel suffered.

We now approach the violent end of this man, whose life was spent in vio-

' On this sul^ect vide the Mem. of Sir George Lockhart, Ml Ushel's counsel.
IT. SX

258 JAMES SHOOT.

lenco. It wot charactarittic of the exoMi of the iniquity of the period ; for, in
the whole eoune of national diaoord whidi preceded, an action of political •».
aassination, without tlio colour of any human law, doea not stand on record, A
few of the more sealout and UDOomproroising prefbyteriam, wandering on
Magus Moor, near St Andrewi, on the 8rd of May, 1079, in search of the
sheriff of Fife, whese actirity as a serrant to the archbishop, had roused them
to violent intontions, lell in with the master, instead of the semuit ; and their
passions dictating to them that they had what was termed a call from Ood to
put him to death, they followed tlie suggestion with drcumstances of consider-
able barbarity. Having cut the traces of his carriage, they, in the most cool
and deliberate manner, coasmanded him to come out of his coadi, or they would
do harm to his daughter, who was along with him ; and that his days were now
numbered, as they were to take Tengeaace upon him-fer a betrayed churdt, and
for so many of their murdered brethren, paitieulafly for the life of Mr James
Mitchel, to whom he had sworn so perfidiously, and for keeping up the king*s
pardon after Pentknd. Affeer repeatedly assuring him of their purpoee, and
exhorting him to repentance and prayer, in which he could not be pemiaded
to engage, they firad upon him, and after wa r ds slashed his head with their
swords, leaving him a lifelew corpse on the king^ highway. A particular ac-
count of this affair, exaggerated probably in its details, was speedily published,
and large rewards offered for the perpetrators ; net one of whom was ever
brought to trial, Nnckston, of Raithelet, excepted, who was one d the party,
but who had refuted to have any hand in the work of death, from the drcnm-
stance of his having had some personal quarrel with the bishop. Sharp was
buried with great pomp, and a splendid monument erected over him, at St An«
draws, which, though it attracls little respect, is still to be seen as one of the
curiosities of that city.

SHORT, Jamsb, an eminent optician and constinctor Cf reflecUng teleaeopes,
was the son of William Short, a joiner in Edinburgh, where he was bom on the
10th of June, 1710. The Christian name, James, was conferred upon him, in
consequence of his having thus been ushered into the world on the birth*day of
the Prstender. Having lost his parents in early life, he was entered, at the
age of ten, on the foundation of Geotge Heriot, where he rendered himself a
favourite among his companions, by his talent for ftibricating Uttle articles in
joinery. At twelve years old, he began to attend the High School for classical
literature, in which he distinguished himself to greatly, that a pious grand*
mother determined to devote him to the church. He actually commenced a
course of attendance at the university for this purpose, in 1796, took his degree
of master of arts, attended the divinity hall, and in 1731 passed the usual trials
preparatory to his being licensed as a preacher of the gospel ; when his natural
taste for mechanics, receiving excitement from an attendance at Mr Madaurip'a
mathematical dass, induced him to turn back from the very threshold of the
church, and apply himself to o diflerent profession. He very quickly attracted
the favourable attention of the illustrious expositor of Newton, who invited him
frequently to his house, in order to ob serv e his capadty more narrowly, and en-
couraged him to proceed in the new line of lift which he had embraced. In
1733, Madaurin permitted Short to u^ his rooms in the college for his appa-
ratus, and kindly superintended all his proceedings. Two years after, In a let-
ter to Dr Turin, he takes notice of the proficiency of Mr Short, hi the casting
and polishing of the metallic specuhi of reflecting telescopes. The -young
mathematician had already improved greatly upon the construeden of the Gre-
gorian telescope. The figure which he gave to his great specula was parabolic ;
not^ however, by any rule or canon, but by practice and mechanical devices,

JAlfES SIBBALD.

269

joined to an exact knoirl^e of the prinetplee of opticiL ' The improTenMnt
had been pointed out by Newton, at tb» meet oeoetiary attaininent for the per-
fection of thoM inttmmentfL In 1736, he had obtained lo much ditttnetion by
hii acqiiirementfl, at to be odled by queen Caroline to gite inatruetions in
matbematioi to her aeeond mm, the duke of Cumberland. On leoring Ediii*
burgh for this purpose, he depoitted £500, which he had already niTed from
hii gaint, in the bank of Scotland. In London, he wai elected a fellow of the
Royal Society, and wa« mudi patinniced by the earis of Morton and Macdea^
field. Towudf the end of the year, he returned to Edinburgh, and resumed
the usual ooune of his prafession. Three years afterwards, he accompanied the
earl of Morton on a progress* to hit lordsfaip^s poswssions in Orkney, for the
purpose of adjusting the geogmpiiy of that remote archipelago; while the laird
of Macfarlane accompanied the party, as* a surfvyor of antiquittes. After that
business had been oonduded, Mr Short accompanied the earl to London, where
he finally settled, and for somn yean carried on an extensive practice in the
construction of telescopes and other optical instruments One of the former,
containing a reflector of twelve feet focus^ was made for lord Thomas Spencer,
at six hundred guineas ; another of still greater extent, and the largest which
had till then been constructed, was made for the king of Spain, at £1300.
Mr Short died, June 15, 1766, of mortification in the bowels, leaving a fortune
of £30,000.

SIBBALD, Jamb, an ingenious inquirer into Scottish literary antiquities, waa
the son of Mr John Sibbald, farmer at Whitlaw, in Roxburghshire, when he
was bom in the year 1747, or early in 1748. He was educated at the gram-
mar school of Selkirk, from which Whitlaw isr only a few miles distant. He
commenced life, by leasing the farm of Newton flrom Sir Gilbert Elliot of Siobs.
Here he punned nario«» studies, each of which, for the time, seemed to him the
most important in the ivorld ; till another succeeded, and in its turn absorbed
his whole attention. One of his favourite pumiits was botany, then little stu*
died by any class of people in Scotland, and particularly by ftrmenk Owing
to the depression which tiie American war , produced in the raloe of farm stock,
Mr Sibbald found his afiairs by no means in a prosperous condition ; and, ac-
cordingly, in May, 1779, ho disposed of the whole by auction, and, giring up
his lease to the landlord, repaired to Edinburgh, with about a hundrsd pounds
in his pocket, in order to commence a new line of life. A taste for literature,
and an acquaintance with Mr Chariee Elliot, who was a natire of the same dis^
trict, induced him to enter as a kind of volunteer shopman into the employment
of that eminent publisher, with whom he continued about a year. He then
purchased the circulating library which had formerly belonged to Allan Ram-
say, and, in 1760 or 1781, commenced business as a bookseller in the Parlia-
ment Square. It is not unworthy of notice, that Mr Sibbald conducted the
library at the timo when Sir Walter Scott, then a boy, doToured its contenta
with the ardour described in one.of his autobiographical prefaces. Mr Sib-
bald carried on business with a degree of spirit and enterprise, beyond the
most of his brethren. He was the first to introduce the better order of engrav*
ings into Edinburgh, in which department of trade he \ras for a considerable
time eminently suooessfiil. Many of these prints were of the meciotinto kind,
and wera coloured to resemble pdntings. Being viewed in the Scottish capital
fia altogether the production* of metropolitan genius, they were exceedingly well
racetred, and extensiTcly purchased. At length, Mr Sibbald was detected one
day in the act of colouring some of them himself; and from that time his trade
experienced an eiident decline; He had not been long in business, when his
talents and acquired knowledge sought an appropriate field of display, in a

260

JAMRS 81BBALD.

monthly literary initoellany, wliicli he established, (1783,) under the name of the
'' Edinburgh Mjigasine.'' This was the fint time that a rival to the andent
Scott jVIogazine met with decided tuooeas. The Edinburgh Magazine nvi of a
somewhat more ambitious and aUnctire character than iu predecessor ; con.
tained more original matter, and tliat of a livelier kind ; and was ornamented
by engraved frontispieces, representing mansions, casUes, and other remarkable
objects. Mr Sibbald was himself the editor and chief contributor ; and it is
said Uiat his articles, though not marked by any signature, were generally distin.
guished as superior to the ordinary papers tlien admitted into magazines. His
lucubrations on Scottish antiquities were of so much merit, as to secure to their
author the friendship of lord Uailes, and other eminent literary characters, who
became occasional contributors to his miscellany. Early in 1791, with the
view of devoting himself more to literary pursuits, Mr Sibbald made an arrange-
ment for giving up the management of his business to two young men, Messrs
Laurie and Symington, the property of the stock and of the magaiine continu-
ing in his own hands, while those individuals paid him an allowance for both
out of the profits. From this period, till late in 179S, the magasine professes,
on the title-page, to be printed for him, but sold by Laurie and Symington.
At the date last mentioned, his name disappears entirely from tlie work, which,
however, was still carried on for his benefit, the sale being generally about six
or seven hundred copies.

In 1799, Mr Sibbald conducted a newspaper, which was then started, under
the name of the " Edinburgh Herald,** and which did not continue long in
existence. It is worth mentioning that, in Uiis paper, he commenced the prac-
tice of giving an original leading article, similar to what was presented in the
London prints, though it has only been in recent times that such a plan became
general in Scotland. According to tlie notes of an agreement formed in July,
1793, between Mr Sibbald and Mr Laurie, the temporary direction and profits
of the Edinburgh circulating library, were conveyed to the latter for ten years,
from the ensuing January, in consideration of a rent of, it is believed, £300
per annum, to be paid quarterly to Mr Sibbald, but subject to a deduction for
the purchase of neiv- books, to be added to the library. Mr Sibbald now went
to London, where he resided for some years, in the enjoyment of literary so-
ciety, and the prosecution of various literary speculations, being supported by
the small independency which he had thus secunMi for himself. Here he com-
posed a work, entitled, ^* Record of the Public Ministry of Jesus Christ;
comprehending all that is related by tlie Four Evangelists, in one regular nor*
rative, without repetition or omission, arranged with strict attention to the
Chronology, and to their own Words, according to the most esteemed transla-
tion ; with Preliminary Observations." This work was published at Edinbui^h
in 1798, and was chiefly remarkable for the view which it took respecting the
space of time occupied by the public ministrations of Christ, which former
writers had supposed to be three or four years, but was represented by Mr
Sibbald as comprehended within twelve months. While in London, his Scot-
tish relations altogether lost sight of him ; they neither knew where lie lived,
nor how he lived. At length his brother William, a merchant in Leith, made
a particular inquiry into tiiese circumstances, by a letter, which he sent through
such a channel as to be sure of reaching him. The answer was comprised in
the following words :-^'^ My lodging is in Soho, and ray busineu is so so.'*
Having subsequently returned to Edinburgh, he there edited, in 1797, a work^
entitled, " The Vocal Magazine, a Selection of the most esteemed English,
Scots, and Irish Airs, ancient and modem, adapted for the Harpsichord or
Violin." For such an employmeiit be was qualified by a general acquaintance

SIR BOHEier 6IBBALD.

with music. In 1799, Mr Sibbald revised his agreement with Mr Laurie, who
undertook to lease the business for twenty-one years, after January, 1800, at
the rent of one hundred guineas, himself supplying the new books, which were
to remain his own property. Finding, however, that, even at this low rental,
he did not prosper in his undertaking, Laurie soon after gave up the business
into the hands of Mr Sibbald, by whom it was carried on till his death.^

The latter years of this ingenious man were chiefly spent in the compilation
of his well-known '' Ghronide of Scottish Poetry, and Glossary of the Scottish
Language," four volumes, 1 3mo ; a work of taste and erudition, which will per-
petuate his name among those who have illustrated our national literature.
The three first volumes exhibit a regular chronological series of extracts from
the writings of the Scottish poets to the reign of James VI. ; illustrated by
biographical, critical, and archasological notices : the fourth contains a voca-
bulary of the language, only inferior in amplitude and general value to the
more voluminous work of Dr Jamieson. The ** Chronicle" appeared in 1803.

This ingenious writer died, in April, 1803, at his lodgings in Leith Walk.
Two portraits of him have been given by Kay ; one representing him as he
daily walked up the centre of the High Street of Edinburgh, with his hand be-
hind his back, and an umbrella under his arm ; another places him amidst a
group of connoisseurs, who are inspecting a picture. He was a man of eccentric,
but benevolent and amiable character. The same exdusiveness which actuated
his studies, governed him in domestic life : even in food, he used to give his
whole favour for a time to one object, and then change it for some other, to which
he was in tUQi as fondly devoted. He belonged to a great number of convivial
clubs, and was bo much beloved by many of his associates in those fraternities,
that, for some yeai'S after his death, they celebrated his birth-day by a social
meeting.

SIBBALD, (Sir) Robbrt, an eminent physician, naturalist, and antiquary,
was descended of the ancient family of the Sibbalds of Balgonie in Fife. He
received the principal part of his education, particularly in philosophy and
languages, at the university of Edinburgh. Having completed himself in these
branches of learning, he went to Leyden to study medicine, and in 1661, he
obtained there a doctor's degree. On this occasion he published an inaugural
dissertation entitled, " l)e Variis Speciebus." Sir fiobert immediately afterwards
returned to his native country, and took up his residence in Edinburgh, from
which, however, he occasionally retired to a rural relreat in the neighbour-
hood of the city, where he cultivated rare and exotic plants, and pursued, un-
disturbed, his favourite study of botany. The reputation which he soon after-
wards acquired procured him the honour of knighthood from Charles II., who
also appointed him his physician, natural historian, and geographer-royal for
Scotland. In this capacity be received his majesty's commands to write
a general description of the whole kingdom, including a particular history of
the different counties of Scotland, Of this undertaking, however, the only part

1 1'he history of the Edinbuivh circulating library may here be briefly narmted. Estab-
lished by Allan Ramsay in 17x5, it Mras conducted by that eminent person till near the
period of his death, in 17S7, when it vna sold to a Mr Yalr, trhoBo aviuow carried it on till
1780. when it was sold to Mr Sibbald. A daughter of Mra Yair was married to the late
Dr Bell, author of tiie " Madras Svstem of Education." By Mr Sibbald, who greatly in-
creased the collection, ft was conducted, under various drcumstanoes, as above staled, till
1808. when hi< brother and executor, William Sibbald, merchant in Leith, endeavoured to
carry it on, under the superinUndence of a Mr Stevenson. Finding it' by no mtans pros-
perous, and the latter gentlenuin having died, Mr Sibbald disposed of it, in 1806, to Mr
Alexander Mackay, who conducted ft until a recent period, when it ^^7ls broken up, and ftold
oirby aoction. It does not appear to have thriven in any remarkable degree, till the aoces*
siou of Mr Mackay, who reUn;d from it with a competency.

262 SIE BOBEBT SIBBAU).

which he eier •xwoted w» A» HiiUvy of F!fb» pabliihed in 1710, m irork of
very oomidenbla intMntly «id rapleto with oorioui antlqatrhuk ialhraatioii.
A new •diUon of this book, whiota had bMom* exoMdingif icaroe, wai p«b«
liihad at Gupsr in Fife in 1603.

In 1681, Sir Robert becnne a member of the Royal Cellege of Fhyilmni,
then firtt incoiporated, and in thiee yeaie afterwrnrdf, he published a Jeaned
and eUboiale vrork, on whioh twenty yeaie had been employed, entitled
" Scotia lUuitrato, akn Prodromna Uiitori» Naturalie^Sootim,* folia A leeond
edition of this Taluable werii, alao in folio, wai publiahed' in 1696. One
part of the Scotia lUuttnta, ia deroled to the indigeuoua pknia of Scotland,
and amongat these there appear tome rare species, one of wldch wai iubso»
quently called Sibboldia, by LinnaMis, in henonr of ilt disoof eier. For some of
the opinions expressed in this wosk on the mathematical principles of phytic.
Sir Robert waa riolently attacked by Dr Pitcaime, in a tract niei« remark-
able for the sererity of its satire than the fiiimcss or solidity of its as^menu^
entitled, 'VDe L^bus Historic Nataialis,** Edinburfh, 1896.

In 1604, this ingenious and ?enatile author pnbUslied an iotensting work
on 2kielogy, eatitled *' PhaUnnologia nofa, or Obserratlone am sobm Animals of
the Whale gsnue ktely thrown on the Shoree of ScetUfld.** This vms foUoned
by '* The Liberty and Independency of ti» Kingdom and Choroh of Scotland as-
serted from Ancient Records,*' in 3 parts, 4to, 1704; and in the same year in
whioh his history of Fife appeared, he published another wMk, entitled *' Mis-
•sllanea qnmdam eruditss Antiquitatia.**

Besides these works Sir Robert wrote a great nomber of learned and highly
ingenious treatises and essays for the Royal Society, chiefly on subjects con^
uMted with the antiquities of his native country. These were coHected and
published after his death under the title of " A collection of se?eral Treatisca in
folio, oonpeming Scotland, as it waa of old, and also in later timesi" by Sir
Robert Sibbald, ALD., Edinbui^, 1739. In his antiquarhin rsssaxches he waa
greatly msisted by Sir Robert Gordon ci Stndoch, the firrt native of Scotland
who turned his attention to the illustration of the antiquities of his native comi-
try. llie eabiect of this nsemmr was the next It is recorded of Sir Robert
SibbaU, and by himself, thai when the earl of Perth waa chanoellor of Scot-
land, the latter pressed him with much urgency and great perwviManoe to come
over to the Roman catholic foith. For some time. Sir Robert says, he resisted
all his graced arguments and entrsaties, but at length found hinswlf all at once
oonvincsd by the reasoning of the chancellor. Under this sudden sene of eiw
ror, and in the fulnem of his new4M>rn contrition, he nished, with tears in his
eyes, into the arms of his converter^ and formally embraced his religion. Soon
alWwards, remaining Mill steady in the fahh, he accompanied his- lordship to
London, and resided with him there for one winter. The long and ftequent
fastings, however, and extremely rigid discipline to which he was now sebjclGted,
induced him to reconsider the points of controversy between Catholicism and pro-
testantism, and the result was that he discovered he had done wrong in deserting
the latter, and with a heart once more 611ed with contrition, he returned to his.
original faith. It may not be without its effect on those who shall consider
this circumstance as an instance of weakness in Sir Robert Sibbald^ character,
to learn, that Dr Johnson entertained a very difftrent opinion of it. Tlie great
moralist considered it as an honest picture of human nature, and exclaimed,
when the subject waa dieenssed in his presence, ** How often are the pinary
motives of our greatest actions as small as Sibbald*s for his re-conversion.** Sir
Robert Sibbald wrote several other works, and promoted the establishment of a
botanical garden at Edinburgh. He died about the year 17 IS.

6E0B0E SINdiAIB.

263

SINCLAIR, GaoBOBy a welL^kaowii mftUieiiiaitcal writer, wai profom>r of
philoiophy in tbe unW«nity of GUtgow in the Utter part of the MTenteenth
century. No pariioulaie of hie eerly life have been etoertained. He itae ad-
mitted a professor of Glasgow uniTefsity, April 18, 1654,^ and was ejected in
i663y for declining to oomply with the episcopal fenn of church government^
then thrust upon the people of Scotland. He had, in the preTieus year, pub-
lished at Glasgow, his fint known work, ** Tyrodnia mathenatica, in novem
iractatusy riz., mathematieumy ephericuiu, geographicum, et echometricum,
dirisa," 13ma AHer his ejection, he betook himself to the business of a
minend surreyor and pracUcel engineer, and was employed in that prolBSsion
by sereral proprietors of mines in the southern parts of Scotkwd, and particu-
larly by Sir James Hope, who, baring sat in BarelxMiee' parliament, was proba-
bly noil ice arene to hie presbyterian principles. In 1669, he published at
Rotterdam, *' Ars Nora et Magna Graritatis etLerilatis,'' 4ta H« was employed
by the magistrates of Edinburgh, about 1670, to superintend the introduction
of water from Cormiston into the city ; a ooorenienee with which the capital of
Scotland had not previously been furnished. Coaeideiable attention seems to
have been paid by him to such bfanches of hydrostatics as were of a practical
nature ; and it has been said that he ives the Snt penon who euggested the
pro^r method of draining the water from the numerous coal mines in the south*
west of SeotUind. In 1673, he published at Edinburgh a quarto entitled,
** Hydrostatioks; or, the Force, Weight, and Piessine of Fluid Bodies, made eri-
dent by physical and sensible Experiments, together with some Miscellany
ObserTatioBS, the last whereof is a short histoiy of Gsal.'' And, in 1680, he
published at the same place, in Sro, what appears to hare been a modification
of the same woric, '* Hydroslatical Experinaeats, with Miseslhiny Observa-
tioBs, and a relation of an Eril Spirit; also a Disooune concerning Goal.''
Sinclair's writings, in the opinion of a very fd>le judge, are not desti-
tute of ingenuity and research, though they may contain some enoneous and
eccentric riews. Tbe work last named contaused a rather strange accompani-
ment to a scientific. treatise, — an account cf the witches of Glenluce, — which,
if there had been no other eridenee of the fiict, -shows the author to have not
been elevated by his acquaintance with the exact sciences above the vulgar de-
lusions of his age. It must be recolleeted, however, that other learned men of
that age were guiUy of like folliesL The self>complaoeney of Sinclair, and his
presbyterian principlsaiprovoked the oelebmted James Gregory, then a profes-
sor at St Andrews, to attack his HydrostaticB in a pamphlet published with the
quaint title of the *' Art of Weighing Vanity," and under the thin disguise of
Patrick Mather, archbeadle of the univniaity of 6t Andrews. It is curious to
observe that with all his eagerness to heap ridicnle on his antagonist, Gregory
never once touches on what would now appear the most vuhDerable point, the
episode about the witches. A/ker a long interval, Sinehur wrote an answer to
Gregory, entitled, " Cacus pulled out of his den by the heek, or the pam-
phlet entitled, the New and Great Art of Weighing Vanity examined, and
found to be a New and Great Act of Vanity." But this production was never
published : it remains in manuscript in the university library at Ghttgow, to
which the author appears, from an inssription, t^ haive presented it in 169S.
Sinclair was among the first in Britain who attempted to measure the heights
of mountains by the barometer. It is said that Harifell, near McAt, was the
fisst h'dl in Scotland of which the height was thus ascertained. In the years
1668 and 1670, he observed the altitudes of Arthur's Seat, Leadhills, and
Tinto, above the adjacent .plains. He followed the original mode of carrying
1 Records of the TJtiIvcnSly.

264 DR. ROBEBT SIMSON.

ft sealed tube to the top of the mountain^ where, filling it with qnicksilver, and
inrerting it in a basin, he marked the eletation of the suspended column, and
repeated the same experiment below; a Tory rude method, certainly, — but no
better was practised in England for more than thirty years afterwards. To tlie
instrument fitted up in a frame, Sinclair first gare the name barateope, or in-
dieaior of weight ; a term afterwards changed for barometer^ or meaaarer of
wdglti. In these rude attempts at measuring weights by the mercurial column,
the atmosphere was regarded simply as an homogeneous fluid, and possessing the
same density throughout its whole mass ; a supposition, which, it is needless to
point out, must hare led the obsenrer wide of the truth, where the elevation
was considerable.

The work by whidi Sinclair is now best remembered is his *^ Satan's Invisi-
ble Works ^Discovered," which was published about the year 1686, and
has since been frequently reprinted. This is a treatise on witches, ghosts, and
diablerie, full of instances ancient and modem, and altogether forming a
curious record of tlie popular notions on those subjects at the period when it
appeared : it was for a long time a constituent part of every cottage library in
Scothuid. In Lee*8 Memorials for Bible Societies in Scotland, is given the fol-
lowing decree of the Privy Council, in favour of Mr Sinclair's copyright In this
precious production : ** Apud Edinburgh, S6 Feb., 1686. The lords of his
majesties privy councill considered ane address made to them by Mr George Sin-
clair, late professor of philosophie at the coUedge of Glasgow, and author of the
book entitled ' Satan's Invisible Works Discovered,' &c, doe hereby prohibite
and discharge all persons whatsomever from printing, reprinting, or importing
into the kingdome any copy or copies of the said book during the space of
eleven learis after the date hereof without licence of the author or his order,
under the pain of confiscation thereof to the said author, besydes what further
punishment we shall think fitt to inflict upon the contraveeners.^ The first
edition contains a very curious dedication to the earl of Winton, not to be found
in the rest, but which has been lately republished in the " Historie of the
Hous and Name of Setoun," printed by the Maitland Club.

It is curious to find science and superstition so intimately mingled in the
life of this extraordinary person. In 1688, he published at Edinburgh, in
1 3mo, the *' Principles of Astronomy and Navigation." The only other publi-
cation attributed to him is a translation of David Dickson's ** Truth's Victory
over Error." It is hardly possible to censure delusions which seem to have
been entertained with so much sincerity, and in company with such a zeal for
the propagation of real knowledge.

Mr Sinclair was recalled at the Revolution to the charge from which he was
expelled twenty-six years before. On the Srd of March, 1691, the faculty of
the college revived the profeisorship of mathematics, whi4^ had been suppressed
for want of funds ; and at the same time appointed Mr Sinclair to that chair.
He died in 1696.

SIMSON, (Db) Robvrt, a mathematician, was the eldest son of Mr John
Simson of Kirton-hall, in Ayrshire, and was born on the 14th October, 1687.
He was educated at ihe university of Glasgow, which be first entered as a
student in 1701. Being intended for the church, his studies were at first
directed chiefly to theological learning, in which, as well as in the classics, be
made great progress. He distinguished himself also by his historical know-
ledge, and was accounted one of the best botanists of his years. At this time
no mathematical lectures were given in the college ; but, having amused him-
self in his leisure hours by a few exercises in Euclid, a copy of which be found
in the bands of a companion, he quickly found that the bent of his taste and

DB. ROBERT SIMSON.

2G5

{jrenius lay in that direction. The farther he adYanoed in the itudy of niathe-
matici, the more engaging it appeared ; and at a protpect opened up to him of
making it his profesaion fiSr life, he at laat gare himeelf up to it entirely.
While still very young, he conceived a strong predilection fur the analysis of
the ancient geometers ; which increased as he proceeded, till it was at last car-
ri%d almost to derotion. While he, therefore, oomparatirely neglected the
works of the modern mathematicians, he exerted himself, through life, in an
uncommon manner, to restore the works of the ancient geometers. The noble
inventions of fluxions and logarithms, by means of which so much progress has
been made in the mathematics, attracted his notice ; but he was satisfied with
demonstrating their truth, on the pure principles of the ancient geometry.
He was, howerer, well acquainted with all the modem discoveries ; and left,
among his papers, investigations according to the Cartesian method, which show
that he made himself completely master of it While devoting himself chiefly
to geometry, he also acquired a vast fund of general information, which gave a
charm to his conversation throughout all the subsequent years of life. On
arriving at his twenty-second year, his reputation as a mathematician ivaa
so high, as to induce the members of the college to offer him the mathe*
matical chair, in which a vacancy was soon expected to take place. With all
that natural modesty which ever accompanies true genius, he respectfully
declined the high honour, feeling- reluctant, at so early an age, to advance
abruptly from the state of student, to that of professor in the same college ; and
therefore requested permission to spend one year, at least, in London. Leave
being granted to him, without further delay he proceeded to the metropolis,
and there diligently employed himself in extending and improving his mathe-
matical knowledge. He now had the good fortune to be introduced to some of
the most illustrious mathematicians of the day, particularly Mr Jones, Mr
Caswell, Dr Jurin, and Mr Ditton. With the last, indeed, who was then
mathematical master of Christ's Hospital, and highly esteemed for his erudi-
tion, lie was very intimately connected. It appears from Mr Sinison's own
account^ in a lelter, dated London, I7th November, 1710, tliat he expected
to have an anistant in his studies, chosen by Mr Caswell ; but, from some mis«
txkke, it was omitted, and Mr Siinson himself applied to Mr Ditton. ** He went
to him, not as a scholar (his own words) ; but to have general information and
advice about his mathematical studies.'' Mr Caswell afterwards mentioned to Mr
Simson, that he meant to have procured Mr Joneses assistance, if he had not
been engaged.

In the following year, ilie vacancy in the professorship of mathematics at
Glasgow did occur, by the resignation of Dr Robert Sinclair or Sinclare ; and
Mr Simson, who was still in London, was appointed to the vacant chair. The
minute of election, which is dated March 11, 1711, concluded with this very
nice condition : ** That they will admit the said Mr Robert Simson, providing
always that he' give satis&ctory proof of his skill in mathematics previous to his
admission." Before the ensuing session at college, he returned to Glasgow ;
and having submitted to the mere form of a trial, by solving a geometrical
problem proposed to him, and also by giving " a satisfactory specimen of his
skill in mathematics, and dexterity in teaching geometry and algebra ;" having
produced also respectable certificates of his knowledge of the science from Mr Cas*
well and others, he was duly admitted professor of mathematics, on the 30th of No*
vember of that year. The first occupation of Mr Simson, was to arrange a proper
course of instruction for the students who attended his lectures, in two distinct
classes ; accordingly, he prepared elementary sketches of some branches, on
which there were not suitable treatises in general use. But from an innate love

IT. tL

266 im. ROBEET 8I1IS0H

far the wdenob, and a deep Mute of duty, be bow devoted the wfaok of Ue at-
tention to the study of mathematioi ; and though he had a decided pw ferei iue
for geooMtry, he did not confine himrif In ii» to the ezdution of the ethev
brandies of mathematical ftndy, in most of wfaidi ihere ia abundant eridenot of
hit being weU ikiUed. From 17 11, he continued for nearly half a century to
teach mathematici to two leparate dasMt, at different houa^ for fite daya in the
neek, during a continued temion of teren wanthii His ledures were given
with such penpieuity of method and language, and his demonstrations were so
clear and sooosmftd, that among his sdholan several rose to dislinction aa mathe*
matidans ; among whom may be mentioned the celebrated names of Colin Mae>
laurin, Dr Matthew Stewart, professor of mathematics at EdinUvgh ; the two
reverend doctors Williamson, one of whom succeeded Dr Simeon at Glasgow ;
the reverend Dr Trail, formerly professor of asathematics al Aberdeen ; thr
James Moor, Greek professor at Glasgow; and professor Bobfaon of Ediii.
burgh, with many othen of distinguished merit

In 1768, Dr Simeon having arrived at the advanced age of seventy-one yeir%
found it expedient to employ an amistant in teaching ; and in 1761^ on his
recommendation, the reverend Dr Williamson was made his assiatani and sno
cessor. For the hut remaining ten years of liis life, he enjoyed a share of good
health, and was chlelly ocoupi^ in correcting and airanging some of his mathe-
matical papen ; and sometimes, for amusement, in the solution of preblemsand
demonstrations of theorems, whidi had occurred from his own studies, or from
the suggestions of othen. Though to those most laauliar with bias, his ceBvev-
sation on every subject se e med dear and accurate, yet be fire^ently complained
of the dedine of his menmry, whIdi no doubt p rotmcted and eventually pr».
Vented him from undertaking the publication of many of his works, which were
in an advanced state, and might with little exertion be made ready for the
presn So that bis only publication, after resigning his office, was a new and
improved edition of Euclid's Data, which, in 1769, was annexed to the second
edition of the Elements. From that period, he firmly reeisted all eolidtationa
to bring forward any of his other works on ancient geometry, though he was well
aware how much it was desired from the univenal curiosity exdted respecting
his discovery of Eudid*8 Porisms. It is a matter of regret, that out of the ex*
tensive correspondence which he cairied on through life with many distin-
guished mathenuitidans, a very limited portion only is preeerved. Through
Dr Jurin, then secretary to the Royal Sodety, he had some interoomree with
Dr Halley and other celebrated men ; he had also frequent conespondence
ivith Mr Maclaurin, with Mr James Stirling, Dr James Moor, Dr Matthew
Stewart, Dr William Trail, and Mr Williamson of Lisbon. In the latter part
of his life, his mathematical correspondence was chiefly with that eminent geo-
meter, the earl of Stanhope, and with George Lewis Scott, esquire.

A life like Dr Simeon's, so uniform and regular, spent for the most part
within the walls of a college, afibrds but little that is entertaining for the bio-
grapher. His mathematical researches and inventions form the important part
of his history ; and, with reference to these, there are abundant materiab to
be found in his printed works and MSS. ; which latter, by the dkection of hia
executor, are deposited in the college of Glasgow.

Dr Simson never was married ; he devoted his life purely to sdentific pur-
suits. His houn of study, of exerdse, and amusement, were all regubited with
the most unerring precision. '* The very walks in the squares or gardens of
the college were all measured by his steps; and he took his exercises by the
hundred of paces, according to his time or inclination.** His disposition was
by no means of a saturnine cast : when in company with his friends his oon-

DR. BOBBBT SIM80N.

267

fanatkm mm ttmukMy animated, enriehed with nuch aneodota, and enlivviiad
alto bj a certain degree of natural hiiraour; even the slight fitt of abeenoe, to
which he waa lonMCMaes liable^ contributed to the am u ee me nt of thoee avound
Idm, without in the iltghtert degree diminiahing their affection and reTerence,
which hie noble qualities were calculated to inspire. At a taTom in the neigh-
bonrhood of hie college, he established a dub, the meraben of which were, for
the most pari, selected by hhnselt They met once a^week (Friday) ; and the
fint part of the evoaing was deroted to the game of whist, of which Dr Sunson
was partioulariy fond ; but, though he took some pains in estimating cbanoss, it
was reamiked that he was by no means fortunate in his play. The rest of the
orening was spent in social conTersation ; and, as he had naturally a good taste
for nmsie^ he did not scruple to amuse his company with a song : and, it is said»
he was niher fond of ainging some ^rresi; odet, to which modem music had
been adapted. On Saturdays, he usually dined at the village of Anderston,
then about a mile distant from Glasgow, with soom of the members of his regu->
lar dub, and with other respectable visitors, who wished to cultivate the acquaint-
ance, and enjoy the society of so eminent a person. In the progrem of time,
from his age and high character, the company respectfully wished that every
thinf in these meetings should be directed by Um; and although his au»
thority was somewhat i^sdute, yet the good humour and urbanity with which
it was administered, rendered it pleasing to every body. He had his own
chair and particular place at the table ; he ordered the entertainnmnt ; ad*
justed the eaq^nse, and regulated the time for breaking npw These happy
parties, in the years of his severe application to study, were useful relaza>
tions to his mind, and they continued to amuse him till within a few months
of his death. A mind so richly endowed by nature and education, and ar
lift of strict integrity and pure asoral worth, gave a correspondent dignity
to his character, that even in the gayest houa of social intercourse, the doc-
tor's presence was a suffident guarantee for attention and decorum. He had
eerious and just impressions of religion ; but he was uniformly reserved in ex-
preming particular opinions about it : he never introduced that solemn subject
in miztd sodety ; and all attempts to do so in his dubs, were chedced with
gravity and decision. His personal appearance was highly prepossessing ; tall
and erect in his carriage, with a countenance deddedly handsome, and convey-
ing a pleasing expression of the superior character of his mind. His manner
was somewhat tinged with the fashion which prevailed in the early part of his
life, but was exceedingly gracefiiL He enjoyed a uniform state of good health,
and was only severely indisposed for a few weeks before his death, which took
pUce on the 1st of October, 1768, in his eighty-fimt year. He bequeathed a
small paternal estate in Ayithire to the eldest son of his next brother, probably
hia brother Thomas, who was professor of medidne in the university of St An-
drews, and who was known by some works of reputation.

** The writings and publications of Dr Robert Simson, were almost exdusive*
Jy of the pure geometrical kind, after the genuine manner of the andents ; but
from his libetid education, he acquired a considerable knowledge of other
edenoes, which he preserved through life, from occasional study, and a constant
inteioourse with some of the most learned men of the agew In the Latin pre-
fiioes prefixed to his works, in which there are some history and discumion, the
purity of the language has been generally approved." And many scholars have
regretted that he had not an opportunity, while in the full vigour of his inteU
lect, and deeply conversant in Greek and mathematical learning, to lavour the
world with an edition of Pappus in the original language. He has only two
pieces printed in the Volumes of the Philosophical Transactions, vi& :«— 1. Two

268 REV. JOHN SKINNER.

Gftmral Propositioni of Pappus, in which many of Eaclid*s Poritnia are iii-
eluded, ¥01. xxxii., ann. 1723. Theae two propositions were afterwards incor-
porated into the author's posthumous works, published by earl Stanhope. —
2. On the Extraction of the Approximate Roots of Numbers of Infinite Series^
vol. xlriii.y ann. 1753. His separate publications in his lifeiirae, were: — 3.
'< Conic Sections/' 1735, 4to. 4. " The Loci Plani of Apolionius Restorad/^
1749, 4to. 5. '* Euclid's Elements," 1756, 4to, of which there hare been
since many editions in 8vo, with the addition of Euclid's Data. In 1776, earl
Stanhope printed, at his own expense, several of Dr Simson*s postliomous
pieces. 1 • Apollonius's Determinate Section. S. A Treatise on Porisnis. 3.
A Tract on Logarithms. 4. On tlie Limits of Quantities and Ratios ; and, 5.,
Some Geometrical Problems. Besides these, Dr Simson's MSS. contained a
great variety of geometrical propositions, and other interesting obsermtions on
difTorent parts of mathematics ; but not in a state fit for publication. Among
other designs, was an edition of the Works of Pappus, in a state of considerable
advancement, and which, had be lived, he might perhaps have published.
What he wrote is in the library of the college of Glasgow; and a transcript ivas
obtained by the delegates of the Clarendon press. To this university he left
his collection of mathematical books, supposed to be the most complete in the
kingdom, and which is kept apart from the rest of the library.

SKINNER, (Rbv.) John, the ivell known author of several popular poems, and
of an ecclesiastical history of Scotland, was born at Balfour, in the parish of
Birse, Aberdeenshire, October 3, 1721. His father was ichoohnaster of that
parish, and his mother was the widow of Donald Farquhanon, Esq. of Balfour.
1 laving in boyhood displayed many marks of talent, he was placed at thirteen
years of age in Marischal college, Aberdeen, where his superior scholarship ob-
tiined for him a considerable bursary. After completing his academical educa-
tion, he became assistant to the schoolmaster of Kenmay, and subsequently. to
the same ofiicial at Monymusk, where he was so fortunate as to gain the
friendship of the lady of Sir Archibald Grant. The library at Monymusk
house, consisting of several thousands of welUselected works, in every depart-
ment of literature, was placed by lady Grant at his command, and afforded him
better means of intellectual improvement, than he could have hoped for in any
other situation. He now found reason to forsake the presbyterian establish-
ment, in whidi he had been reared, and to adopt the principles of the Scottish
episcopal church, of which he was destined to be so distinguished an orna-
ment After spending a short time in Shetland, as tutor to the son of Mr Sin-
clair of Scolloway, and marrying the daughter of Mr Hunter, the only episcopal
clergyman in that remote region, he commenced his studies for the church ; and,
having been ordained by bishop Dunbar of Peterhead, was appointed, in No-
vember, 1742, to the charge of the congregation at liongside, over which he
presided for sixty*five years, probably without a wish to '' change his place."
Of the severities with which the episcopal clergy were visited after the rebellion
of 1745, Mr Skinner bore his full share. His chapel was one of those which
were burnt by the ruthless soldiers of Cumberland. AAer that period, in order
to evade an abominable statute, he ofllciated to his own family within his own
house, while the people stood without, and listened through the open windo^vs.
Nevertheless, he fell under the ban of the government, for having officiated to
more than four persons, and was confined, for that offence, in Aberdeen jail,
from. May 26th, to November 26th, 1753. This was the more hard, as Mr
Skinner was by no means a partisan of the Stuart family.

Mr Skinner's first publication was a pamphlet, entitled ** A Preeervntive
against Presbytery," which he published in 1746, to re^^assure the minds of his

BEY. JOHN SKINNER.

269

people, under the alanning apprehention of the total extirpation of Scottish
episcopacy. In 1757, he published at London, a *' Diitertation on Job^ Pro-
phecy ,*' which received the high approbation of bishop Sherlodc. In 1767, he
published a pamphlet, vindicating hie church against the aspersions of Mr Sieve*
wright, of Brechin. The life of this good and ingenious man passed on in
humble usefulnees, cheered by study, and by the cultivation of the domestic af-
fections. His home was a small cottage at Linshait, near Longside, consisting
simply of a kitchen and parlour, the whole appearance of which was, in ths
highest degree, primitive. Here, upon an income resembling that of Gold-
smith's parson, he reared a large family, the eldest of whom he had the satisfac-
tion to see become his own bishop, long before his decease. His profound
biblical and 'theological knowledge is evinced by his various works, as collected
into two voluipes, and published by his family. The livelier graces of his ge-
nius are shown in his familiar songs ; ** TuUochgorum ;*' '^ The Ewie wi' the
Crookit Horn ;" ** O why should old Bg9 so much wound us, O P" &c In
1788, he published his " Ecclesiastical History of Scotland;*' in which an ample
account is given of the aflfairs of the episcopal church, from the time of the He<
formation, till its ministers at length consented, on the death of Charles Stuart,
to acknowledge the existing dynasty. This work, consisting of two volumes
octavo, is dedicated in elegant Latin, ** Ad Filium et Episcopum," to his son
and bishop^ It may be remarked, that he wrote Latin, both in prose and verse,
with remarkable purity.

In 1799, Mr Skinner sustained a heary loss in the death of Mrs Skinner,
who, for nearly fifty-eight years, had been his afftctionate partner in the world's
warfare. . On tl|is occasion, he evinced the poignancy of his grief, and the depth
of the attachment with which he clung to the remembrance of her, in some beau-
tiful Latin lines, both tenderly descriptive of the qualities which she %po8iessed,
and, at the same time, mournfully expressive of the desolation which her de-
parture had caused. Till the year 1 807, the even tenor of tlie old nian^s course
was unbroken by any other event of importance. In the spring of that year,
however, tlte scarcely healed wound in his heart was opened by the death of his
daughter- in-law, who expired at Aberdeen, after a very short, but severe illness.
Each by a widowed hearth, the father and son were now mutually anxious, that
what remained of the days of the former should be spent together. It was ac-
cordingly resolved, that he should remove from Linshart, and take up his abode
with the bishop, and his bereaved family. To meet him, his grandson, the Rev.
John Skinner, minister at Forfar, now dean of Dunblane, repaired, with all his
ofiepring, to Aberdeen. This was in unison with a wish which himself had ex-
pressed. To use his own affecting langiuge, it was his desire to see once more
hU children's grantUchUdreny and peace upon Israel

On the 4lh of June, he bade adieu to Linshart for ever. We may easily con-'
ceive the profound sorrow which, on either side, accompanied his separation
from a flock among whom he had ministered for sixty-five years. He had
baptised them all ; and there was not one among them who did not look up to
him as a father. After his arrival in Aberdeen, he was, for a week or ten days,
in the enjoyment of his usual health. Surrounded by his numerous friends,
he took a lively interest in the common topics of conversation ; sometimes amua-
ing them with old stories, and retailing to them anecdotes of men and things
belonging to a past generation. Twelve days afler his arrival, he was taken
ill at the'dinner-table, and almost immediately expired. He was buried in the
church-yard of Longside, where his congregation have erected a monument to
his memory. On a handsome tablet of statuary marble, is to be seen the simple
but faitliful record of his talents, his acquirements, and his virtues.

270 IVILLIAM 6MELLIB.

SMELXilEy WnuAsi, an eminent natwaliflt, and umAiI akeelbneooi writiv,
mi born in Edinburgh, about the year 1740, being the eon of Mr AWzandez
SiDeliie, a builder, who belonged to the etiictev order of praebyterians, and was
the ronatnictor of the martyre' tomb in the Greylrtaie' chnrdi-yanl. William
Smellle received the rudimenti of hit education at the pariih echool of DaddJng-
ftton, and, though destined for a handicnft profevion, mae alUnvardg for some
time at the High School of Edinbui^h. His father at first widied to apprentice
him to a stay-maker, but the business of a printer was uhinately preferred, and
he was indentured to Messrs Hamilton, Balfoor, and Neil, then eminent pro-
fessors of that art in the Scottish cspitaL While yet very young, he had the
misfortune to lose hit father ; but the exemplary conduct of the young printer
•oon placed him above the necessity of depending upon others for hi subsist-
ence. Every leisure moment was devoted to study, or litscsry pnisoits ; and
only a few years of his apprenticeship had elapsed, when he was appointed
by his employers to the responsible office of corrector of the press, with a
weekly allowance of ten shillings, instead of his stipulated wages of three
shiUlngi. Instead of wasting his earnings on frivolity or dissipation, young
Smellie took the opportunity of attending a regular course of the univer-
sity classes. The result of this was soon evidenced, by his prodndng an edi*
tion of Terence, in duodecimo, wholly set up and connected by himself; which
Harwood, the philologist, declares to be '* an immaculate edition ;" and which
gained to hit masters an faonorary prize, offered by the Fdinburgh Philo-
sophical Society, for the best edition of a Latin classic. Upon the expiry
of his indentures, Mr Smellie, then only nineteen yean of age, accepted em-
ployment from Messrs Murray and Codirane, printers in Edinburgh, as cor-
rector of their press, and conductor of the Scots Magazine, a work published
by them, and which kept a conspicuous station in the literary world, from
17dD, up to a recent period. For theee dntiesy besidea setting types and
keeping accounts ** in cases of hurry,** Mr Smellie at first received the sum
of sixteen shillings per week. Notwithstanding, however, his severe ptofeeiioBsl
labours, he still prosecuted his classical studies with great ardour; and nothing,
perhaps, can better illusttate the self-tasking nature of Mr Smellie^ aslnd, than
the fact, that he imtructed himself in the Hebrew language, eolely that he nught
be thereby fitted for superintending the printing of a gnunmar of that tongue,
then about to be published by professor Robertson. It appease that about this

time he was strongly disposed to renounce his medianlcal empleyment, and adopt
one of the learnt professions, having already almost fitted himself either for
that of medicine or theology. But prudential motives. Induced by the certainty
of a fixed source of emolument, determined him to adhere to tiie business of a
printer, which he did throughout life. It is here vrorthy of notice, that, dur-
ing his engagement with Messn Munray and Codirane, a dispute having arisen
between the masten and journeymen printers of Edinburgh, respecting the pro-
per mode of calculating the value of manual labour by the latter; Mr Smellie
devised a plan for regulating the prices of setting up types, on fixed principles,
being in proportion to the number of letters, of differently slied types, in a
certain space. This useful plan has since been almost univenally adopted
throughout the kingdom.

Mr Smellie continued in the employment of tiie above gentlemen for six
years; that is to say, until the year 1765, during which time we^find him
steadily advancing himself In life, extending his acquaintance amongst the
iiitraii of the day, and improving himself by every means within his readu
One plan for the latter purpose which he adopted, was that of entering largely
into an epistolary correspondence with his acquaintances, with the vietv of

IfniiLIAH SMELLTB.

271

gi^dng bim fnadom and &eiUly in eoaiinitting hU thoughts to papez. He like-
wise oo-opented with a numher of young men of limilar habits and punuits to
his own, in establishing a ireekly dub, which they tenned the NEWToiriAii So-
€SMn, and ivhich indudad the names of president BJair^ Dr Hunter, Dr Blaclft-
locky Dr Budian, (author of the Domestic Medidne,) Dr Adam, and many
others who afterwards became celebrated in their xespectlYe walks in life. Af-
ter the disoonlinuaiioe of thia sodety, anotherinu instituted in 1778, called
the Newtonian Club, of which Mr SmeUie was unanimously diosen secretary.
This hUter institution comprised the names of Dr Duncan, Dr Gregory, Dugald
StewBii, prolesBor Bussell, Dr Wardrope, — in short the whoie senatus of the
QniTeruty» with many other illustrious indiriduals. Mr Smellie had a dedded
preference to the study of natural lUstory, especially of botany, and about the
year 1700, collected an extensive Hortus Siccus from the fields around Edin-
buigh, whidi he afterwards presented to Dr Hope, professor of botany in the
uniTcrsity. He likewise in the same year, gained the honorary gold medal
given by the professor for the best botanical dissertation; and soon af-
terwards wrote various other discourses on vegetation, generation, &c, all of
which were subse^ently published in a large work aolely written by himself,
entitled the ** Philosophy of Natural History." He was besides no mean
chemist, at a time when diemistry had scarcely been reduced to a sdence, and
was generally held as alike visionary and vain. Upon the publication of the
Essays of the celebrated David Hume, printed by Mr Smeilie, an extended cor-
nspondenoe took pbce between them, in which the latter contested with great
logical force and acumen many of the heterodox doctrines advanced by the for-
mer ; particularly that respecting the credibility of miracles. Mr Smellie af-
terwaids drew up, in a masterly manner^ an abstract of the arguments for and
against that prindple of our religious fiiith^ for the Encyclopaedia Britannica,
and whidi was published in the first edition of that work.

Mr SmeUie lived in terms of great intimacy with Dr William Buchan, au^
thor of the well-known ** Domestic Medicine." That work passed through the
press in Messrs Murray and Cochrane's printing office, and entirely under Mr
Smellie^s superintendence, Dr Buduin himself then residing in England. It is
well ascertained that Mr Smellie contributed materially, both by his medical
and philological knowledge, to the value and celebrity of the publication ; and
from the 6ct, indeed, of his having re-written the whole of it for the printers,
he was very generally oonddered at the time, in Edinburgh, to be the sole author of
it. The wcxk has now naturally become almost obsolete from the rapid progress
in the medical and other sdencea therewith connected, since its composition ;
but the fiict of its having passed through between twenty and thirty editions,
ere superseded, fully establishes the daim of the author, or rather authors, to a
reputation of no mean note. It appears, by their correspondence, that Dr
Bodian was particularly anxious that Mr Smellie should qualify himself as
M.D., and share his fortunes in^gland, in the capadty of assistant ; but, with
his constitutional prudence, the latter dedined the invitation. The corre-
spondence, however, induced him to give a marked attention to the practice and
theory of medicine^ aa well as to stimulate him in his favourite study of
natural history ; thua qualifying himself for the excellent transition of Bufibn,
which he subsequently executed.

In 1763, being then only twenty-three yean of age, Mr Smellie married a
Miss Robertson, who was very respectably connected. By thia marriage he
had thirteen children, many of whom he lost by death. In 1765, upon the
conclusion of his engagement with Messrs Murray and Cochrane, he commenced
buiinen aa a master-prmter. In oonjunction with a Mr Auld, Mr Smellie'a pe-

273

WILLIAM SMELLIB.

cuniary proportion of the copartnery being adranoed for him by Dr Hope and
Dr Ferguwon, profetsori in the unifentty. In 1767, a new copartnery waa fonned
by the introduction of Mr Balfour, bookaeller, who brought along \«ith him tlie
property of a newapaper called the Weekly Journal, whtdi had for a conaider-
able time prerioutiy been eatabliihed. The management of the latter wai aoJe-
]y intrusted to Mr Smell ie ; but ai It happened to be a loaing concern, he
ahortly afterwards insisted on its discontinuance. This led to disputes, which
finally terminated in a dissolution of the copartnery in 1771 ; when a new con-
tract was entered into between Mr Balfour and Mr Smellie only. About tlie
same time, he ap[iears to hare been on terms with the eminent Mr William
Strahan, to undertake the nuinagement of the vast printing concern carried on
by him in London ; but from some cause not clearly explained the treaty was
broken oft It is worthy of mention, as showing the respect in which Mr
Smellie was at this time held, that upon his entering on this new copartnery,
lord Kames became security for a bank credit in farour of the younger printer,
to the amount of £300. His lordship appears to hare had a particular regard
for Mr Smellie, and at his suggestion the latter commenced the composition of
a series of lectures on the Philosophy of Natural History. About the s^ime time
the professorship of natural history in the Edinburgh university fell meant, and
great exertions were made to procure Mr Smellie^ appointment to it; but
the political interest of his rival, Dr Walker, prevailed, and was even strong
enough to prevent him from delivering his lectures publicly, although the Anti-
quarian Society, of whose Museum he was keeper, offered him the use of their hall
for that purpose.

Mr Smellie*s acquaintance with lord Kamei originated in his venturing to
send, anonymously however, some animadversions on his lordship*s ** Elements
of Criticism,** whilst that work was going through the press of Messrs Murray
and Cochrane in 1764. Lord Kames replied by thanking the young critic,
and requesting him to reveal himself. The result was a strict and intimate
friendship during their lives ; lord Kames uniformly submitting all his subse-
quent works to the critical judgment of Mr Smellie, who, after the death of lord
Kames, wrote the life of his illustrious friend for the Encyclopaedia Britannica^
in the third edition of whidi it appeared in 1800.

Amongst Mr Smellie's many literary undertakings, one of tlie earliest was
the compilement and entire conducting of the first edition of the work just
named, which began to appear in numbers at Edinburgh in 1771, and was
completed in three volumes in quarta The plan, and all the principal articles
were devised and iiTitten or compiled by him, and be prepared and superin-
tended the whole of that work, for which he only received the sum of £S00,
from its proprietors, Mr Andrew Bell, engraver, and Mr Colin Macfarquhar,
printer. Had Mr Smellie adhered to this literary project, there is little
d(.ubt that he would thereby ultimately have realiied an ample fortune, as both
the proprietors died in great affluence, arising solely from the labours of
Mr Smellie in the original fabrication of the work. Unfortunately, however,
when applied to by the proprietors to undertake the second edition, he fastidi-
ously refused to meddle with it on account of their desiring to introduce a plan
of biography into it, which Mr Smellie imagined would detract from its dignity
aa a Dictionary of Arts and Sciences.

It will, we should think, be interesting to our readext to learn something of
the early history of a work which has latterly swelled out into such bulk and
Importance. Of the original edition^the entire work» as we bare aaid* of Mr
Smellie— it is not exactly known how mauy copies were thrown oflt The
second edition, which oonsisted of 1500 copies^ extended to ten ▼olnmes

WILLIAM SMELLIE.

273

quarto. A third edition ^ In eighteen Tolumes^ \vaa commenced in 1786^ and
extended to 10,000 copies. By this edition the proprietors are said to have
netted i^42y000 of clear profit, besides bein||f paid for their respective work as
tradesmen — the one as printer, and the other as engraver. The fourth edition
extended to twenty quarto volumes, and 3,500 copies. In tlie fifth and sixth
editions, only part of the work was printed anew ; and to these a supplement in
six volumes was added by Mr Arcliibald Constable, after the property of the
work had fallen into his hands. An eighth edition, under the editorship of
professor Traill, is now in tho coarse of pnblieation*

In the year 1773, Mr Smellie, in conjunction with Dr Gilbert Stuart, com«
menced a new roontlily publication, Th€ Edinburgh Magaune and Review,
which was conducted for some years with great spirit and talent, but was
dropped in I77G, after the production of 47 numbers, forming &we octavo
volumes. Its downfall was attributed to a continued series of harsh and wanton
attacks from the pen of Dr Stuart, on the writings of lord Monboddo, which
disgusted tlie public mind. Edinburgh did not at that time affoi'd such ample
scope for literary stricture as at the present day. Lord Monboddo, neverthe*
less, continued to be warmly attached to Mr Smellie^ and they lived on terms
of the strictest intimacy till his lordship*s death.

In the year 1780, on the suggestion of the late earl of Buchan, a society for
collecting and inyestigating the antiquities of Scotland, was instituted at Edin-
burgh. Of this society, Mr Smellie was personally invited by his lordship, to
become a member ; which he did, and was appointed printer of tlieir journals
and transactions. Next year, he was elected keeper of their museum of natural
history ; and io 1793, he was elected secretary, which office he held till his
death.

It IS not, we believe, generally known, that with Mr Smellie originated that
admirable scheme of a statistical account of all the parishes of Scotland, whicli
was afterwards brought to maturity by Sir John Sinclair. At the desire of the
Antiquarian Society, Mr Smellie, in 1781, drew up a regular plan of the un*
dertaking, which was printed and circulated ; but the individuals to whom they
were addressed, do not seem to have understood the important nature of the
application, and only a rery few complied with the directions given in it

In 1780, Mr Smellie commenced tlie publication of his ** Translation of Buf-
fon's Natural History ;" a work which has ever stood deservedly high in the opinion
of naturalists, being illustrated with numerous notes and illustrations of the French
author, besides a considerable number of new observations. It is worthy of no-
tice, that Mr Smellie*s knowledge of the French tongue, which is acknowledged
to liave been profound, was entirely acquired by himself, without the aid of a
master; and it is a Curious fact, that, of a language he so thoroughly understood,
he could scarcely pronounce one word. This fact gave unbounded surprise to
a friend of Bufibn, who came to Edinbui^h on a visit, and waited on Mr SmeU
lie. The stranger noted it down as one of the greatest wonders of his travels,
intending, he said, to astonish the French naturalist, by relating it to him.
It is perhaps the best of all tests, as regards the merits of Mr Smell ie*s trans-
lation, that Buffon himself was highly pleased with it, and even requested him
to translate some of his other works ; but this, from prudential motives, IMr
Smellie declined.

In the year 1780, the partnership between Mr Smellie and Mr Balfour was
dissolred, when the former entered into partnership with Mr William Creech,
bookseller. This connexion continued to the end of 1789, when Mr Smellie
commenced^ and ever afterwards carried on business, entirely on his own
aocounL

IT. 2 M

274 THOMAS SMBTOir.

In 1790, Mr SimIIw publiih^d the fink Tofame of hit «< FhUoM^phy of K».
tanl Hiitory,** the origin ti irhieh hu been dreamy noticed. The copyright
WM at the laflM tioM puvehaiod bj Mr raiiot, bookieUcry Edinburgh, for one
thotuand gniDOM. TIm teoond and concluding Tolnrao was not published, mi-
til four jean after his death, Dosidee this and the other bugger wotks, which
we have bofore adreriad to, aa the production of Mr Smellie, wo have seen
a list of upwards of forty misoelianoons essays, upon almost all snbjecto-^
from politics to poetry, firom optics to diHnity— whic^ he composed at different
limes, and under various ctroumstances ; and from his indefatigable industry, and
wonderful facility of writing, it is supposed that theee are scarcely a moiety of
his literary eflMons.

Mr Smellie*s acqnaintaifce with Robert Bums, commenced in the year 1787»
upon tbo occasion of tho poet^ coming to Bdinbnrgh to publish his poems,
which were printed by Mr Sm^io. From their similarty social dispositions,
and mutual relbh of eadi other'kwit, an immediato and permanent intimacy
took phice betwixt theak After Bums's doparture from Edinburgh, ttiey corre*
sponded frequently ; but the greater part of the communications were altsrwards
destroyed by Mr SmeHie, equally, peshaps, on the bard*! aeconnt and his own.
Of the high opinion whidi the latter entertained, however, of his friend — and it
is well known how fiutidious waa hb tsste on the score of talent, honesty, and
real friendship amongst his feUow creaturei w e have suflcient eridence in the
poetical akeiohy pul^lished in the werici of Boms, coanwncing —

" To C]

The old oock*d bat, tho brosra sartotitc tho samo,'* te.

Mr Smellie expired, after a long illness, on the 94th June, 1795, In fafa
fifty-fifth year ; and we regret to add hie name to the long list of men of
genius, who have terminated a career of labour, anxiety, and useftdness, amid
the pressare of pecuniary diffculties. Some years after his death, a small vo-
lume was published, under tin care of his son, containing memoirs of three
distinguished men, with whom he had been acquainted ; lord Kames, Dr John
Gregory, and Mr David Huom: it formed part vi a more extended design,
which ilix Smellie had sketdied out, but found not time to execute. A nwniotr
of Mr Smellie himself was publidhed by Mr Robert Seir, hi two volumes octavo ;
a work, perhaps, dispropoctioned to the aubjeet, but containing many curiooa
anecdotes.

SMETON, IWaus, an eminent dergynum of the dxteeuth century, wae bom
at the little village of Gask, near Perth, iOknU 1590. Ncdiing mtlslhctory
seems to be known respecting his parentage : Wodrow conjectures it to have
been mean, but upon no better ground than Ae iaet of his having been bom at
an obscure place. It is oivtain, however, that he enjoyed the advantages of the
best instnicton that his country then aflbrded. He received his e&mentary
education at the celebrated adiool of Perth, tiien taught by Mr A. Slmson, and
no lem famous under some of its sulnequent masters. Smeton Is belief to
have had, as his schoolfellows, James Lawson and Alexander Aibutbnot, both of
whom afterwards acted a conspicuous part in the ecdeeiastiGal tnnsactions of
their country. The thorough knowle^ of the Latin language displayed by
our author, leaves little room to doubt that he profited by the honourable emu-
lation, which wti doubtiem excited among such scholars. At tiie age of serein
teen, (1553,) he was incorporated a student in St Salvator*k college, St An-
drews ; and here he had the satisfaction of joining Aibuthnot, who had entered
St Mary's two yean earlier.^ Smeton is believed to have studied philosophy
> Rooordi of the Univsitity of St Andrews.

THOMAS SMETON.

275

under the proTost of hit oolles*, Mr WiUiam Gniiittofin ; but how fkr he pro-
secuted hif studiety none of bia biogmpheiw mention. He ultimately benme
one of the regenii in the eoHege, and oootlntted in thai lituation, till the doc-
trines of the Reformation began to be warmly agitated in Uie univertity. When
the protettant party at length gained the Moendency, Smeton, still lealously
attached to the popish system, left his native country, and resided for many
years with his continental brethren. The history of his life, fur about twenty
years, is most fortunately preserred, as related by himself, in the Diary of Mr
James Melrille; a ^ork, as we hare already mentioned, (see article James
MelviUeJ of so interesting a character, that we feel gratified by erery oppor*
tunity of quoting from it Luckily the nanratlYe, while it is perfectly distinct,
is so much condensed, as to be completely suited to our limits ; and we, there-
fore, make no apology for its introduction,

** At the reformation of religion, Mr Smeton, being put from the auld col-
lege of S. Andros, post to France^ where in' Paris he thought mikle vpon the
trew way of mlttatioii ; and be dealling of diwerss of his acquentance, namlie,
Mr Thomas Matteland, a young gentilman of guid literature and knawlage in
the trenthe of religion, was brought to ken and be inclynde to the best way :
whar also he was acquentit with my mde, Mr Andro and Mr Gilbert Mon-
crei/C Yit lothe to alter his mynd wherin he was brought vpe, and fand him-
sehf sum tyme fuUie petswadit in the mater of his fathe and saluation. He
thought he wald leaue na thing rntryed and esseyit perteining therto ; and,
mderstanding that the ordour of the jesuists was. maist lemed, halie, and exqui*
sit in the papistrie, he resoluit to enter in thatr ordour during the yeirs of pro-
bation ; at the end wharof, gifT he fand himselfT satieled in his auld fathe, he
wald oontinow a jesuist ; and, gifT he fimd nocht amangs tham that might re-
moue all the douttes he was east into, it was hot folie to seik fordar, he wald
yeild Ynto that light that God be the emest delling of his lowing frinds and
companions haid enterit him into. And sa he enterit in the Jeiuists collage at
Paris, whar he fiind Mr Edmont Hay, a rerie lowing frind, to whom he com-
municat all his mynd. Mr Edmont, seing him worthie to be irin to tham, and
gifibn to leming and light, dtrsctes him to Rome ; and be the way he cam to
Qeiieu, whar Mr Andro Mehiill and Mr Gilbert MonereiiT being for the tyme,
lie oommunieat with tham his purpose, and cra?it thair prayers. Of hit pur-
pose they could gie na guid warand ; but thair prayers they proinissit hartlie.
Sa Budcing na stey ther, he past fordwart to Rome, whar he was recearit in the
Jesuist*s collage gladlie. In the qnhilk colfaige was a father, hauldin of best
leming and prudence, wha was ordeanit to trauell with sic as wer deteinit in
pressone lor religion, to eonrert tham : of him he crarit that he might accom-
panie him at sic tymes when he went to deall with these prssonen, quhilk was
granted to him. Be the way as they cam from the 'presoners to the collage,
quhilk was neir a myle, Mr Thomas wald tak the ai^ument of the presoners,
and mentein it against the jesuist, for reasoning's cause, and indeld to be re-
aoluit ; and the more he entisied, he fand the tieuthe the strangar, and the je-
suist's answers noTor to satisfie him. This way he oontinowit about a yeir and a
halff in Rome, till at last he becam suspitius, and therfor was remitted back to
Paris throw all the collages of the jesuists be the way, in all the quhilks he en-
deworit mair and mair to haifT his douttes resoluit, bot fand himselff ay fordar
and fordar confirmed in the reritie. Coming to Paris again, he abaid ther a
space terie lowingly interteined be Mr Edmont;* till at lait he could nocht bot

* Aocording to Dempster, Smeton taught hanianity fa the onireralty of Paris, sad aller-
ivards In tiie college of Clermont, with great applause. (See M*CHe^a MeWilie, 2nd. ediu
S80, note.)

276

THOMAS SMETON.

diicoTer himielfrto Mr Edmoat, to whom h« ■ayt be wai alsmikle behauldin as
to anie man in tlie warld ; for, noctwithitanding that he peitsearit hit raynd
turned away from thair ordour and reiligion^ yit he ceased nocht to couniall
him frindlie and faiherlie, and tuflered him to want na thing. And being a
verie wyte man, he thinks to keipe Mr Thomas quyet, and nocht to sufl'er him
to kythe an aduersar against them. PeroeaYing, therfor, the young man giflen
to his buik, he gifies him tliis counsall, to go to a quyet collage, situat in a
welthie and pleasant part in Lorain, whatr he sould hailf na thing to do, but
attend vpon his bulks; wliair he sould hailf nil the antient doctors, and sic bulks
as yie [he] pleisit to reid ; he sould leak na necessars ; thair he sould keip him
quyet, till God wrought fordar with him, rtherwayes he wald cast himselif in
grait danger. Thair was na thing that could allure Mr Thomas mnir nor this^
and therfor he resolued to follow his counsall ; and, taking iorney, went to-
wards Lorain, whair be the way the Lord leyes his hand vpon him, and visites
him with an extream fever, casting him in Tttermaist pean and perplexiiie of
body and mynd. Thair he fought a maist Strang and ferfuU battelle in bis con*
science : hot God at last prevealling, be determines to schaw himselff, abandone
that damnable societie, and nter, in plean proflesson, the treuthe of God, and
his enemies* falshods, hypocrisie, and craft. Sa coming bak to Paris again, he
takes his leiue of Mr Eduiont, wha yit, nochtwithstanding, kythes na thing hot
lowing frindschipe to him ; and at his parting, gUfes thrie counsalles :^-l. To
reid and studie the antient doctors of the kirk, and nocht to trow the ministers.
S. To go ham to his a win countrey. And, tbridly. To marie a yvy^l — From that
he manifested himselff amangs the professours of religion, till the tyroe of the
massacre, quhilk scliortlie ensewit ; at the qubilk, being narrowlie sought, he
cam to the Englits ambamator, Mr Secretarie ^Yalsingham, in whase house,
lyand at Paris for tlie tyme, as in a comoun girthe, he, with manie ma, war
seafK With whome also he cam to Eingland soone efter, wliar he remeaned
schoolmaister at Colchester, till his coming to Scotland.

** At his coming to Scotland, he was gladlie content to be in companie with my
mcle, Mr Andro [Melrille], and sa ogreit to be minister at Pasley, in place of
Mr Andro Puluart, wha euterit to the subdeanrie of Glasgw, when Mr David
Cuningbame was bischopit in Aberdein. A litle efter his placing, Mr Andro,
principall of the collage, put in his hand Mr Archibald Hamiltone*s apostats'
buik, * De Conftuione CaluiniaMS SeeidS apud Scatos ;* and efter conference
theranent, movit him to niak answer to the sam, quhilk was published in print
the yeir following, to the grit contentment of all the godlie and lemit Mr
Thomas was Terie wacryff and peanfull, and skarslie tiik tyme to refreclie
nature. I haiff sein him ofc find fault with lang denners and suppers at general
assemblies ; and when Tthers wer therat, he wald abstein, and be about the
penning of things, (wherin he exoellit, bathe in langage and form of letter,)
and yit was nocht rustic nor aiister, bot sweit and aftable in companie, with a
modest and naiue grauitie; verie frugall in fude and reyment; and walked
inaist on fut, whom I was verie glad to aooompanie, whylis to Sterling, and
now and then to his kirk, for my instruction and comfort. He louit me ex*
oeiding weill, and wald at parting thrust my head into his bosom, and kis me.

*' He being weill acquented with the practises of papists, namlie, jesuists,
and their deuyces for subuerting the kirk of Scotland, bathe publidie and prl^
Tatlie, ceasit nocht to cry and warn ministers and schoUars to be diligent vpon
ther charges and bulks, to studie the controuersies, and to tak bead they n^
glected nocht the tyme, for ther wald be a Strang mseatt of papists. Also, he
was carefull to know the religion and affection of noble men, insinuating him
in thair companie, in a wyse and graue manor * and warning tham to be wax of

THOMAS SMXTON.

277

euill oompanie, and nocht to tend thair bems to dangenit partM. And,
finalie, Mr Andro and he marvelouglie oonspyring in purpoiei and ittdgments,
war the first motionen of an anti-teminarie to be erected in St AndrM to the
jesuist teminariet, for the course of theologie, and ceftit nerer at asBembliei and
court, till that wark was begun and sett fordwart.**

There perhaps never was % period more calculated to bring forth the talents
of our countrymen, than that of the Reformation. Accordingly, Mr Smeton
was soon required by his brethren to take an active part in the more public
transactions of the church. In October, 1578, he was nominated one of the
assessors to the moderator of the General Assembly ; an appointment conferred
at that time upon the roost learned and judicious of the members. But his ta*
lents were considered rs fitting him for the performance of functions still more
important He was chosen moderator of the next Assembly, which met in July,
1579, and which was called to the consideration of many important questions.
Among these may be mentioned, the finishing of the first Scottish edition of the
Bible. In 1680, he became the opponent of Niool Burn, a professor of philo-
sophy in the university of St Andrews, who had turned papist.' Of this contro-
versy, Dr Maclcenzie promised an account in his Life of Bum, but his biogrop
phical work never reached that point.

James Melville has alluded in the passage we have quoted from his Diary,
to the anxiety of his uncle and Smeton that the young noblemen and gentle-
men of Scotland should be educated at home, and to the measures which they
proposed for the attainment of that object. They had at length the satisfac-
tion of seeing tlieir new constitution of the university of St Andrews approved
by the church, and ratified by parliament Melville was chosen principal of
St JMTary's, or the New college, and, after much opposition, arising, however,
from no other motive than a conviction of his usefulness as minister of Paisley,
Smeton waa appointed his successor by letters under the Privy Seal, dated the
Srd of January, 1580. Most unfortunately the records of the university of
Glasgow are almost wholly lost for the period during which this excellent man
presided over it His duties, however, are known to have been of no lighi
description ; he was the sole professor of divinity, and had also the charge of
the religious instruction of the parish of Govan. Besides the mere literary de-
partment, as it may be- termed, of his duties, he had the general super-
intendence of the university, in which was included the by no means pleasant
ofiioe of inflicting corporal punishment on unruly boys. Almost equally little-
has been preserved respecting Smeton*s share in the ecclesiastical transactions
during the remainder of his life. He was chosen moderator of the General As-
sembly held in April, 1583. We have already alluded in the life of Mr Robert
Pont to the removal of that learned roan for a short period to St Andrews, and
to the reasons which obliged him to relinquish that charge. Andrew Melville
was anxious that his place should be supplied by Smeton, and, it is not improb-
able, intended to adopt some measures for bringing the state of that town under
the notice of this Assembly. But it was the policy of the Prior and his do*
pendants to frustrate the settlement, whatever might be the merits of the in-
tended minister, that they might spend in extravagance or debauchery the funds
which wei« destined for his support The king, therefore, probably instigated
b); that ecclesiastic (the earl of Mardi) but under the specious pretext of a
fatherly care over the university of Glasgow, forbade the Assembly to ** meddle
with the removing of any of the members thereof, and especially of the
PrlncipaL" Smeton*s old schoolfellow, Arbuthnot, now principal of King*s
s Mackenzie's Lives of Scots Writers, iii.

278

ADAM SMITH, LL.D^F.R.S.

oolkg«, AhmdMu, was looii aftflrwarda choMn by tka Kirk SMuoii of St An-
dnwa; buk tiib al^iion iNr«diioad bo bmm lanHirable rmU.

Prineipal SmetoD attMidad tha following GaMral AawaUy (Oetobar 1683),
asd wM again amployad in ione of iU aioat in^poiianl buaincaa. Btil tho
couno of honour and usafulnaia on whidi ha had now anterad waa dealinod to
bo of rery abort duration. Soon after hia return to Glasgow, he waa leiaed
with a high fever, and died, after only eight days' Ulne«, on the 1 3th of De-
oamber, 1683L About tiz weeka earlier, hii friend Arbuthnot, with whom he
had been ao long and intimately connected, had been cut off in hia 46tb year,
and thus waa the country at oooa bereaved of two of its greatest lights at a
period of no ooouMm difficulty. That waa indeed ** a davk and beavie winter
to the kirk of Scotland.'*

The babita and acquirements of Smetoa aiust have peculiarly adapted him
for the charge of a liteiary, and, mote particularly, of a theological seminary.
While the latter were unquestionably inferior to thoae of his predecessor in the
principalship of Glaagow college, his manners were of a milder and more con-
ciliatory ehanwier. Yet even his learning waa gieally beyond that of the mass
of his brethten. He wrote Latin with elegance and facility, and waa a Greek
and Hebrew aehdar. Nor had he, like many of our travelled countrymen, ne-
glected the study of his native tongue, in which he wrote with great propriety.
His knowledge of controversial divinity, derived most probably from the cir-
cumstances attending hia conversion to the Protestant faith, is rep re se n ts d as
superior to that of almost any of hia contemporarisa. Of the works which he
has left behind him the best known is his reply to Hamilton, which was pub-
lished at Edinburgh in 1679, with the following title : ** Ad Virulentum Ar-
chibaldi Hamiltonii Apostatai Dialogum de Gonfuaione Calvlniana Sectas apud
Scotoa impie conscriptum Orthodoxa Be^ponaio, Thoma Smetonio Scoto auct^,
in qua Celebris ilia quastio de Ecclesia, de Vniversalilate, Sucoamione, et
Roroani Episcopi Primatu breviter, dilucide, et accurate, tractatur : adjeda est
vera Historia extremss vita» et obitua eximii viri Joan : Knosii EodesisB Sooti-
caMB instauratoris fidelimimi,** dvoc The Genevol Assembly held in April,
1661, ordered the method of preaching and prophecying by . . .
<' to be put in Scotish be their brother Mr Thoaua Smetone;" but if this
supposed translation of Hyperius De fomumdiM Conciombut was ever printed,
it has escaped the researches of all our bibliographers. The Dictates of princi-
pal Smeton,— .that ia, the notes which he dictated to his students^ — ^were pre-
served in archbiahop Spotswood*s time, and are said by that author to have been
highly esteemed. Dempster also aacribea to Soseton ^ EpiUphinm Metaliani,
lib L"

Principal Smetou adopted the advice of his exoeUent friend, Eduond Hay,
and ** nurried a wyflr,** but at what time is uncertain. We are equally uncer*
tain whether he left any children behind him. The name of Smeton, and in
one or two instances that of Thomas Smeton, occur in the records of the uni-
versity of Glasgow in the early part of the seventeenth century, and, as the
naoM was by no means common, these peflK>ns were not improhably his
descendanta.*

SMITH, AiUM, LLJD. and F.R;3. both of London and Edinburgh, one of
the brightest ornaments of the literature of Scotland, was bom on the 6th
of June, 17S8, at the town of Khrkaldy, in die county of F'i£&. He was the
only child of Adam Smith, comptroller of the customs at Kirkokly, and Moiw

* Abridged from Wodrow*t Lif« of SineC«i, apud MSS. Sii Bibl. Acad. Gbsg. voL i.
See also James MelviJie*s Diary, pp. 56^8, aiid M*CrIe's Life of Melville, sccund edition, !.
168. ii. 879-883.

ADAM 6MITH, LLJ>^¥.fL&

279

gavet Dougkty daughter of Mr Dooglaf of Sbathtary. His Atlier iKviog dM
8oin« months befoire hia birth, tha duty of aupariniandiiig hia early eduoation
daroivad antiraly upon hia mothar.

A singular accident happened to him when ha waa about thrae yean of agaw
Aa be war amiaing himielf one day at the door of hia uade, Mr DougWa bouM
in Staatbenry, he waa cairied off by a party of gypaiea. The ragranti, how-
aver^ being puraued by Mr Douglas , were orerlaken in Lealie-wood, and hia
uncle, aa Mr Stewart renuurksy was thus the happy instnnnent of prasenring to
the world a genius which waa destined not only lo extend the boundariea of
icienoe, but to enlighten and felbrm the oemmercial policy of Europe.

The eanstltution of Dr Smith, during infancy, was infirm and sickly, and re-
quired all the delicate attentiona of his surviving paranU Though she treated
him wilh the otascat indulgence, thia did not produca any unibTourable effect
either on his dispeaitiona or teasper, and he repaid her afieetionate aelicitude
by every attention thai filial gratitude could diOate during the lo^g peaod of
sixty yean.

He rectived the fint rudiments ni hia education at the grammar school of
Kurkaldy, which waa then taught by Mr David Miller, n teacher, in hia day, of
oonaidenUe reputation. He aoon attracted notice by hia passion for books,
and the extnordinary powan of hia memory. Even at thia early period, too,
he seems to have contracted those habita of speaking to hinMeK ab^ of absence
in eampany, for which, through life, he was so nnuurkable. The weakness of
Dr Smith's constitution pnvented him from engaging in the aporls and partimaa
of his school companions, yet ha waa much beloved by them on account oi his
friendly and geneaoua dispoaitioniL

Having raraained at Kiricaldy till he had completed his fiNtrteenth year, he
iraa sent, in 1737, to the univenity of Gla%ow, where he proaecuted hia studies
during three yeats. Mr Stewart mentiona on the authority of one of Mr
Smith's CsUow students, Dr Madaine of the Hague, that hia favourite puiauiu
while attending that university were mathematics and natunl philosophy. He
attended, however, during his residence in Glasgow, the lectures of the cale-
bnted Dt Hutcheson on monl philosophy; and it ia probable that they had
a conaideiBable effect in aAerwaHa dirscting hia attention to those branches of
science in which he waa to becoate so distinguished.

Dr Sauth's frienda having dhreeted his views towards the Ei^sh church, he
went, in 1740, to Ballidl college, Oxford, aa an exhibitioner on Snell's founda-
tion, where he remained aeven yean. M this celebrated seat of classical
learning he cultivated with the greatest assiduity and suooaas the study both of
the ancient and modem languages, and became intimately aoquainted with
the works of the Roman, Greek, French, and Italian poets, as well as with
those of hia own country* With the view of improving his style, he used fre-
quently to employ himself in the pnctioa ef translation, particularly from the
French, as be was of opinion that auch exercisea were extremely useful to those
who wished to cultivate the art of composition. But Dr Smith's obllgationa to
the univenity of Oxierd seem to be confined to his proficiency in classical
learning, and a critical acquaintance with the niceties and delicacies of the
English tongue. Very little could be learned from the publi<J lectures
on plttlosophy: the logic of Aristotle still maintaining ita influence in both the
English univeraitie& A circumstance, however, which, upon good authority, is
related to have ooouned during hia residence at Ox£ord, ahows, that in his
private studies Dr Smith did not confine his reading in philosophy to the works
of Aristotle and the schoolmen. Something having excited the suspicion of bis
superion with regard to the nature ef his studies in private, the heads of his

280

ADAM SMITH, LL.D^ F.R.S.

college aotered hii apartnent one day without any prerioua notioo, and un.
luckily found the youngr philoiopher engaged in reading Hume's Treatise of
Htimnn Nitura. The oA^ander \vta of ctjurae sererely reprimanded, and the ob-
joctionable work i«ii«d and carried oft'

Dr Smithy having faund that tlie ecclwifldtcal prfifewlon t^ai not suitablo to
hii taste, retolvad at la&t to renounce every prnipec^t of rlilng- to eniinenco liy
church prefermenL He aoconUngly returned, tn 1747, against the wishes of
his friendi, to Kirkaldy, and without having determined on any fixed plan of
life, resided there nearly two ye^irs wjlh his mother^ In the end of the year
1719, Dr Smith fixed his residence in Edinburgh, and, under the patronage of
lord Karnes, delivered lectures during^ three year* on Rhetoric and Belle*
Lettret, These lectures were never published, but it Appears that the lubetance
of them was communicated to Dr Bbir» who began his celebrated course on the
same subjed in 1755^ and tktt that gei^tleroan had a high opinion of their merits.
In a note in his eighteenth lecture, Dr Elnir ihui not ices them : " On ihii head,
of (he general character of style, parti eularly the plain and the simple, and
the characters of those Engli§h authnrt who are classed under tbem in this and
the following lecture^ several ideas have been taken from a manuscript treatiso
on Rhetoric, part nf winch was shnwn to me many yeaia ago, by the learned
and ingenious author, Dr Adam Smith; and which, it is hoped, will be given
by him to the publiCp**

It appenn to Itave been during the residence of Mr Smith at this time in
Edinburgh tliat bis acquaintance with 3tr David Hume commenced, whirh
kited uiLbout the slighieit interruption till the death of the latter hi 1776.
It waj a frie ndshipf I>lr Stewart remarks, on both sides founded on lire admira-
tion of genius, and the love of liniplidty ; and which fonni an interesting cirw
cumitance in the history of each of these eminent men ftom the ambition which
both have shown to record it to posterity.

The literary re potation of Ur Smith being noiv well established, he
was elected, in 1751, professor of logic in the university of Glasgow, and in
the year following he was removed to the chair nf moral philosophy in Uie
■a me univeniiyj vat^nt by the death of Mr Thomas Uraigle, who was tlie im-
inediale successor of Dr llutcheson. In this situation he rom^iiticd during lhir>
teen years, a period which he ^UMed to consider as the happiest of his life, the
studies and inquiries in which his acjidemieal duties led him to engage being
those which were most agreeable Co his tnste. It is hinhly probable that his
appointment tu the professorship of moral philiTSOpliy was the means of inducing
him to mature his ipeculations in etliici ,^nd piditjcal economy, and to underw
take those great works which have immortalised his luime iu the literature of
8cotlaud,

Ko part of the lectures which Dr Siniih delivered either as profesior
of logic or of moral pbiliHophy, bus been pr**st^rTed, e^nccpt what has been
published in the "Theury of Mm-nl Sentiments/^ and the "Wealth of Nations*"
The fulloning nccnuot nf them, however^ hns been given by Mr Miller, the cele-
brfiled author of the Historical View of the Ivn^lisb Ijovernment, and professor
of law in the unirenity of (jlnsgow, who luid the advantage of being one of Mr
Smitlfs pupils,

" In the professorship of logu^ to which Mr Smith wai appolnied on his first
introduction into this univenity, he soon saw the necesstty of departing widely
from the plan that had been followed by his predeceuorv, and of directing the
attention of his pupils to studies of a more interesting and useful nature than
t!)e logic and metaph^iics of the schook Accord ingly^ after exhibiting a
^noral view of ibe powers of the mind^ and explaining as much of the ancient

ADAM SMITH, LL.D., P.R.S.

281

logic OS was requiflite to gratify curiosity with respect to an artificial method of
reasoning^ which had once occupied the unirenal attention of the learned, lie
dedicated all the rest of his time to the deliTeriug of a system of rhetoric and
belles lettres. The best method of explaining and illustrating the Tarious powers
of the human mind, the most useful part of metaphysics, arises from an
examination of the several ways of communicating our thoughts by speech, and
from an attention to the principles of those literary compositions which contri-
bute to persuasion or entertainment. By these arts everything that we per-
ceive or feel, every operation of our minds, is expressed and delineated in such
a manner, that it may be clearly distinguished and remembered. There is at
the same time no branch of literature more suited to youth at their first en-
trance upon philosophy than this, which lays hold of their taste and their
feelings.

** It is much to be regretted that the manuscript, containing Mr Smitli's lec-
tures on this subject, was destroyed before his death. The first part, in point of
composition, was highly finished ; and the whole discovered strong marks of
taste and original genius. From the permission given to students of taking
notes, many observations and opinions contained in these lectures have either
been detailed in separate dissertations, or engrossed in general collections,
which have since been given to tlie public. But these, as might be expected,
have lost the air of originality, and the distinctive character which they
received from their first author, and are often obscured by that multiplicity of
common- place matter in which they are sunk and involved.

" About a year after his appointment to the professorship of logic, Mr Smith
was elected to the chair of moral philosophy. His course of lectures on this
subject vrsM divided into four parts. The first contained natural theology ; in
which he considered the proofs of the being and attributes of God, and those
principles of the human mind upon which religion is founded. The second
comprehended ethics, strictly so called, and consisted diiefly of the doctrines
which he afterwards published in his * Theory of Moral Sentiments.' In the
third part, he treated at more length of tliat branch of morality which relates
iojuiiie^, and which being susceptible of precise and accurate rules, is for that
reason capable of a full and particular explanation.

" Upon this subject he followed the plan that seems to bo suggested by
Montesquieu; endeavouring to trace the gradual progress of jurisprudence,
both public and private, from the rudest to the most refined ages, and to point
out the efiects of those arts which contribute to subsistence, and to the accumu-
lation of property, in producing correspondent improvements, or alterations in
law and government This important branch of his labours he also intended
to give to the public ; but this intention, which is mentioned in the conclusion
of the * Theory of Moral Sentiments,' he did not live to fulfill.

'Mn the last part of his lectui'es he examined those political regulations
which are founded, not upon the principle of justice, but that of expediency,
and which are calculated to increase the riches, the power, and the prosperity
of a state. Under this view, he considered the political institutions relating to
commerce, to finances, to ecclesiastical and military establishments* What he
delivered on these subjects, contained the substance of the work he afterwards
published under the title of ' An Inquiry into the Nature and Sources of the
Wealth of Nations.'

^' There was no situation in which the abilities of Mr Sniitli appeared to
greater advantage than as a professor. In delivering his lectures, he trusted
almost entirely to extemporary elocution. His manner, though not graceful,
was plain and unaffected ; and, as he seemed to be always interested in tlie sub*

IT. 2N

282

ADAM SMITH. LL.I)., F.B.3.

}6cty h« never failed to intereft hU hearers. Endi diteotme oemitted ooimnoiily
of flerenl distinct propositions , whidi he s uc ces s irely endesTOured to prove and
illustrate. These propositions, when announoed in general terns, had, from
their extent, not unfrequently soiaething of the air of a paradox. In his at.
tempts to explain them, he often appeared at fii-st not to he sufficiently possessed
of the subject, and spoke with some hesitation. As he adranoed, however, the
matter seemed to crowd upon him ; his manner became warm and animated,
and his expression easy and fluent In points susceptible of controversy, yoa
could easily discern, that he lecretly conceived an opposition to his opinions,'
and that he was led upon this account to support them with greater energy and
vehemence. By the fulness and variety of his illuttiations, the sub|ect grad-
ually swelled in his hands, and acquired a dimension, which, without a tedious
repetition of the same views, was calculated to seise the attention of his audi-
ence, and to a/ford them pleasure as well as instruction, in following the same
subject thrapgh all the diversity of shades and aspects in which it was present-
ed, and aftM'wards in tracing it backwards to that original propeeition, or
general truth, from whidi this beanliful train of speculation had proceeded.

** His reputation as a professor was accordingly raised very high ; and a mul-
titude of students from a great distance resorted to the oniversily mM^ly upon his
account Those branches of science which he taught became fittkionable at
this place, and his opinions were the chief topics of discussion in dubs
and literary societies. Even the small peonliarities in his pronunciation or
manner of speaking became frequently the objecta of imitation."

The first publications of Mr Smith, it is understood, were two artlclM which
he contributed aaooyraously to a work called the ** Edinburgh Review," begun
\n 1755, by some literary gentlemen, but of which only two numbers ever
appeared. The first of these articles was a Review of Dr Johnson^s Dictionary
of the English Language, whidi displays considerable acuteness, and the other
contained some general observations on the state of literature in the dilierent
countries of Europe.

In 1759, his great ethical work, entitled, " Theory of Moral Sentiments,
or an Essay towards as analysis of the Principles by which men naturally judge
concerning the Conduct and Character, first of their Nmgfabeur, and^flerwsiids of
Themselvesi'* made its appearance. This work contributed greatly to extend
the Uam and reputation of the author; and is anqueationably entitled
to a i^ace in the very first rank in the sdenoe of momla. Dr Brown,
in his eighteenth lecture, thus speaks of it: <' Pnfbund in thonght, it exhibile,
even when it is most profound, an example of the graces with which a
sage imagination knows how to adorn the simple and majestic form of science ;
that it is severe and cold only to those who are themaslves cold and severe, as
in these very graces it exhibits in lilce manner an example of the reciprocal
embellishment which imagination receives from tlie sober dignity of trutlL In
its minor details and illustrations, indeed, it may be considered as presenting a
model of philosophic beauty of which all must acknowledge the power, who are
not disqualified by their very nature for the admiration and enjoyment of in*
tellectual excellence; so doll of understanding as to shrink with a pain-
ful consciousness of incapacity at the very i^pearance of refined analysis, or so
dull and eM of heart, as to feel no charm in the delightful rarities off an elo-
quence, that, in the illustration and embellishment of the noblest trutlis, seems itself
to live and harmonise with those noble sentiments which it adorns.'' But it is
chiefly in its minor analyses that the work of Dr Smith possesses such excellenee.
Its leading doctrine has been often shown to be erroneous, and by none vitli

ADAM SMITH, TJ..D^F.R.S.

283

more acuteiMM than by Dr Broxm. We shall very shortly explain the nature
of that leading doctrine, and endeavour to bIumt bow it hat been refuted.

It if impoaeible for ut to contemplate certain actions performed by others, or
to perform such actions ourselves, without an emotion of moral approbation or
disapprobation arising in our minds ; without being immediately impressed
Willi a vivid feeling, that die agent is virtuous or vicious, worthy or unworthy
of esteem. An inquiry regarding such moral emotions, must form the most in^
teresting department of the philosophy of the mind, as it comprehends the
whole of our duty to God, our fellow creaturea, and ourselrea. This depart-
ment of science is termed Ethics, and is sometimes, though not very correctly,
divided into two parts ; the one comprehending the theory of morals, and the
other its practical doctrines. The most important question to be considered in
the theoretical part of ethics, is the following : — What is essential to virtue and
vice — that is to say — what is common, and invariably to be found in all those
actions of which we morally approve, and what is in the same way peculiar to
those which we morally condemn P Philoeophera have formed various opinions
upon this subject Hobbes and his followers contended that all merit and de«
merit depends upon political regulations : that the only thing essential to a
virtuous or vicious action, is its being sanctioned or discountenanced by the
association of men, among whom it is performed. Mr Hume and others have
supported the more plausible tlieory, that what Is utility to the human race, un.
avoidably makes itself the measure of virtue: that actions are virtuous or vicious,
according as they are generally acknowledged to be, in their final effects, bene-
ficial or injurious to society in general. These, and many other theories of
morals, have been often shown to be erroneous ; and it woidd be out of place
here, to enter Into any discussion regarding them. We pass on to notice the
theory of Dr Smith.

According to him, all moral feelings arise from S3rmpathy. It is a mistake
to suppose that we approve or disapprove of an action immediately on becom-
ing acquainted with the intention of the agent, and the consequences of what
he has done. Before any moral emotion can arise in the mind, we must ima-
gine ourselves to be placed in the situation of the person who has acted, and of
those to whom his action related. If, on considering all the droumstanoes in
which the agent b placed, we feel a complete sympathy with the feelings that
occupied his mind, and with the gratitude of the person who was the object of
the action, we then approve of the action as right, and feel the merit of the
person who performed it, our sense of the propriety of the action depending on
our sympathy with the agent ; our sense of tlie merit of the agent on our sym-
pathy with the object of the action. If oor sympathies be of an opposite kind,
we disapprove of the action, and ascribe demerit to the agent

In eainiaUng the propriety or merit of our own actions, on the other hand,
we, in some measure, reverse this process, and consider ho'.v our conduct would
appear to an impartial spectator. We approve or disapprove of 'it, according
as we feel from the experience of our own former emotions, when we imagined
ourselves to be placed an similar circumstances, estimating the actions of others,
that it would ezdte his approval or disapprobation. Our moral judgments, with
respect to our own conduct are, in short, only applications to ourselves of deci-
sions, which ^ve have already passed on the conduct of othem

But in this theory of Dr Smith, the previous existence of those moral feel*
ings, which he supposes to flow from sympathy, is In reality assomed ; for the
most exact accordance of sentiment between two individuals, is not suflldent to
give rise to any moral sentiment In the very striking emotions of tiste, for

284

ADAM SMITH, LL.D^ F.B.S.

example, Dr Brown remarks, we may feel, on the perusal of the same poem,
the performance of the same miisi«l air, the sight of the nme picture or statue,
a rapture or disgust, accordant with the rapture or disgust expressed by ano-
ther reader, or listener, or spectator; a sympathy far more complete than
takes place in our consideration of the circumstonces in which he may hare had
to regulate hie conduct in any of the common oflairs of life. If mere accord-
ance of emotion, then, imply the feeling of moral excellence of any sort, we
should certainly feel a moral regard for all whose taste coincides with ours;
yet, however gratifying the sympathy in such a caw may be, we do not feel, in
consequence of this sympathy, any morality in the taste that is mott exactly ao-
oordant with our o\ni. There is an agreement of emotions, but nothing more*,
and if we had not a principle of moral approbation, by which, independently
of sympathy, and preyioutly to it, we regard actions as right, the mott exact
sympathy of passion would, in like manner, hare been a proof to us of an
agreement of feelings, but of nothing more. It prores to us more ; because the
emotions which we compara with our own, are recognized by us as moral feel-
ings, independently of the agreement

But though the leading doctrine of Dr SnaitfB theory be considered by many,
apparently on just grounds, as erroneous, his work is stUl unquestionably one of
the most interesting which hare been produced on moral science. It abounds
In faithful delineations of characters and uiannen, and contains the purest
and most elerated maxims for the practical ragulation of human life. The
style, though perhaps not sufficiently precise for the subject, is throughout elo-
quent, and serves, by the richness of- its colouring, to relieve the drynea of
some of the more abstract discussions.

Dr Smith's " Dissertation on the Origin of Languages," which is now gene-
rally bound up with the " Theory of Moral Sentiments," made Its first appear-
ance vrith the second edition of that work. In this ingenious and beautiful tract,
the author gives a theoretical history of the formation of languages, in which
he endeavoun to ascertain the different steps by which they would gradually
arrive at their present so artificial and complicated state.

As the ** Theory of Moral Sentiments " contains the most important part of
Dr Smith's ethical doctrines, he was enabled, after the publication of that work,
to devote a larger part of his courae of lectures, than he had previously done,
to the elucidation of the principles of jurisprudence and political economy.
From a statement which he draw up in 1755, in order to vindicate his claim to
certain political and literary opinions, it appeara that, from the time when he
obtained a chair in the university of Glasgow, and even while he was delivering
private lectures in Edinburgh, he had been in the habit of teaching the same
liberal system of policy, with respect to the freedom of trade, which he after*
^rards published in the " Wealth of Nations.*' His residence in one of the
largest commercial towns in the island, must have been of considerable advan-
tage to him, by enabling him to acquire correct practical information on many
points connected with the subject of his fiivourlte studies ; and Mr Stewart
states, as a circumstance very honourable to the liberality of the merchants of
Glasgow, that, notwithstanding the reluctance so common among men of busi-
neu to listen to the conclusions of were speculation, and the direct opposition
of Dr Smith's leading principles to all tlie old maxims of trade, he was able,
before leaving the univenity, to rank some of the most eminent merchants of
the city among the number of his proselytes.

The publication of the " Theory of Moral Sentiments," served greatly to in-
craase the reputation of its author. In 1763, the Senatus Academicus of the
univenity of Glasgow unanimously conferred on him the honorary degree of

ADAM SMITH, IX.D, F.B.S.

285

Doctor of Law-Bf in testimony, as expressed in the minutes of the meeting, of
their respect for hit universally acknowledged talents, and of the advantage
that had resulted to the university, from the ability with whicli he had, for many
years, expounded the principles of juritprudenoe.

Towards the end of 1763, an important event occurred in Dr Smith's life.
Having received an invitation from Mr Charles Townsend, husband of the
duchess of Buccleuch, to accompany the young duke, her grace's son, on his
travels, he was induced, from the liberal terms in which the proposal was made,
and the strong desire he entertained of visiting the continent, to resign his
chair at Glaagow, and accept of the offer. " With the connection which he
was led to form, in consequence of this change in his situation," Mr Stewart
remarks, ** he had reason to be satisfied in an uncommon degree ; and he &U
ways spoke of it with pleasure and gratitude. To the public, it was not, per-
haps, a change equally fortunate, as it interrupted that studious leisure for
which nature seems to have destined him, and in which alone he could have
hoped to accomplish those literary projects which liad flattered the ambition of
his youthful genius.**

Dr Smith having joined the duke of Buodeuch at London, in the early part
of the year 1764, they set out for the continent in the month of March. After
remaining qnly ten or twelve days in the capital of France, they proceeded to
Toulouse, where they resided during eighteen months. Toulouse was at that
time the seat of a parliament ; and the intimacy in which he lived with some of
its principal members, afforded him an opportunity of acquiring the most cor-
rect information in regard to the internal policy of France.

After leaving Toulouse, they proceeded through the southern provinces to
Geneva ; and having spent two months in that city, returned to Paris about
Christmas, 1765, where they remained nearly a year. Dm'ing their abode in
Paris, Dr Smith, through the recommendation of Mr Hume, and his own cele*
brity, lived on the most intimate terms with the best society in the city. Tur-
got, (afterwards comptroller-general of finance,) Quesnay, Necker, d*Alembert,
Helvetius, Marmontel, the«duc de la Rochefoucault, and Madame Riccaboni,
were among the number of his acquaintances ; and some of them he continued
ever afterwards to reckon among his friends. It is highly probable that he de-
rived considerable advantage from his intercourse with Quesnay, the celebrated
founder of the sect of Economists. Of this profound and ingenious man, Dr
Smith entertained the highest opinion ; and he has pronounced his work upon
Political Economy, with all its imperfections, to be the nearest approximation
to the ti'ulh, that had then been published, on the principles of that very im-
portant science. Dr Smith intended to have dedicated to Quesnay the ** Wealth
of Nations," but was prevented by his death.

Although Dr Smith had made some very severe remarks in his " Theory of
Moral Sentiments," on the celebrated maxims of the duke of Rochefoucault, this
did not prevent him from receiving the utmost kindness and attention from the
author's grandson, A short time before Dr Smith left Paris, he received a flat-
tering letter from the duke of Rochefoucault, with a copy of a new edition
of the Maxims of hb grandfather ; and informing Dr Smith, at tlie same time,
that he had been prevented from finishing a translation of his " Theory of
Morals" into French, only by the knowledge of having been anticipated in the
design.

Dr Smith returned with his pupil to London, in October, 1766 ; and soon
after took up his residence with his mother at Kirkaldy, where, with the ex«
oeption of a few occasional visits to Loudon and Edinburgh, he resided con-
stantly during the next ten years, engaged habitually in intense study. Mr

286

ADAM SMITH, LL.D., F.R.S.

HuuiA, who coniidered the town aa the proper scene for a man of letters, vaa^
many ineifectual attempta to preTail upon him to leaye hb retirement. During
this residenoe of Dr Smith at Kirkaldy, he vras engaged chiefly in maturing hk
speculations upon Economical Sdenoe. At length, in 1776, the " Inquiry
into the Nature and Cauaee of the Wealth of Nations,^ made its appearance : a
work which holds nearly the same rank in pc^itical economy, that Locke's Es-
say on the Human Understanding does in the philosophy of the mind, or Uie
Principia of Newton in astronomy.

Our limits prevent us from giving anything like a particular analysis of this
great work, but we shall endeaTour to give some brief account of it We shall
notice very shortly the stato of the science at the time when Dr Smith wrote — the
difierent leading principles which the illustrious author endeavouis to establish,
and the principal merits and defects of the work.

The object of political economy is to point out the means by which the in«
dustry of man may be rendered most productive of the neoessaries, conveni-
endes, and luxuries of life ; and to ascertain the laws which regulate the dis-
tribution of the various products which constitute wealth among the different
dasses of sodety. Though these inquiries be In the highest degree interesting
and important, the science of political economy is comparatively of recent ori-
gin. Ii was not to be expected that, among the Greeks and Romans, who con-
sidered it degrading to be engaged in manufactures or commercOy'and among
whom such employments were left to slaves — where moralists considered tlie in-
dulgence of luxury to be an evil of the first magnitude ; that the sdenoe whidi
treats of the best methods of acquiring wealth, should be much attended to. At
the revival of letters, these andent prejudices still maintained a powerful Influ-
ence, and, combined with other causes, long prevented philosophers from tui-n-
ing their attention to the subject

Ihe first inquirers in political economy were led an-ay by a prejudice, which
IB, perhaps^ one of the most deeply rooted in the human mind ; namely, that
wealth consists solely in gold and silver. From tliis mistake grew up tliat sys-
tem of commensal policy, which has been denominated the mercantile system,
according to the principles laid down, in which the commerce of Europe was,
in a great measure, regulated at the time when Dr Smitli's work appeared.
The leading doctrine of the commercial system was, that the policy of a country
should be directed solely to the multiplication of the predous metals. Hence
the internal commerce of a nation came to be entirely overlooked, or viewed
only as subsidiary to the foreign: and the advantage derived from foreign trade
was estimated by the excess of tlie value of the goods exported, above that of
those which were imported ; it being supposed that ihe balance must be brought
to the country in spede. To the radical mistake upon which the mercantile
systom was founded, nuiy be traced those restrictions upon the importation, and
the encouragement given to the exportation of manufactures, which, till lately,
distinguished the commercial policy of all the nations in Europe. It was ima-
gined that, by such regulations, the excess of the value of exports over imports,
to be paid in gold, would be increased.

During the seventeenth, and the earlier part of the eighteenth century, larious
pampiilets lud appeared, in which some of the fundamental prindples of politi-
cal economy were distinctly enough laid down, and which had a tendency to
show the futility of the mercantile theory. For a particular account of these
publications, and their various merits, we must refer to Mr M'Culloch*s able
Introductory Discourse to the last edition of the '* Wealth of NatioLS." We
shall here only remark, that though several of these treatises contain the
germs of soiue of the truths to be found in the " Wealth of Nations ;" yet

ADAM SMITH. ILB.. FJLS.

287

the principles laid down in them are often stated only in a cursory and inci-
dental manner. Their authors frequently appear not to be aware of the im-
portance of the truths which they hare discorered ; and in none of them is
anything like a connected view of political economy to be found.

The only work that was given to the world before the *' Wealth of Nations,^
in which an attempt was made to expound the principles of political economy
in a logical and systematic manner, was the EooDomical Table of the celebrated
Quesnay, a French physician , which was publi^d in 1758 : but the theory of
this distinguished economist is very erroneous. Having been educated in the
country, he was naturally inclined to regard agriculture witli partiality ; and he
had come to the conclusion, that it was the only species of industry which could
possibly contribute to increase the wealth of a nation. Ererything which
ministers to the wants of man, must be originally derived from the earth ; and
the earth, therefore, Quesnay contended, must be the only source of wealth.
As manufacturers and merchants do not realise any surplus in the shape of rent,
he conceiTed that their operations, though highly useful, could not add any
greater ralue to commodities than the ralue of tl^ capital consumed by them.
Into this erroneous theory he seems to hare been led, from being unable to ex-
plain the nature of rent ; and from being unacquainted ivith that fundamental
principle in political economy, that labour is the cause of exchangeable value.

But, though Quesqay conceived agriculture to be the only source of wealth,
the principles of his system fortunately did not lead him to solicit for it any
exclusive protection. On the contrary, he contended that the interest of all the
different classes of society would be best promoted, by the establishment of a
system of perfect freedom. It must, he conceived, be advantageous to the
cultivators of the soil, Uiat the industry of manufacturers and merchants should
not be fettered; for the more liberty they enjoyed, the greater would be
their competition, and in consequence the cheaper would their services be
rendered to tlie agriculturists. On the other band, it was the interest of the
manufacturers, that the cultivators of the soil should also have perfect freedom ;
for the greater liberty they enjoyed, the more would their industry increase
that surplus fund, from which, according to his theory, the whole national re-
venue was ultimately derived.

It was in the work of Dr Smith, that the sources of the wealth and prosperity
of nations, were first fully and correctly explored, and, in a systematic manner,
distinctly explained ; and that the advantages to be derived from commercial
freedom, were first satisfactorily established. In i^pposition to the principles of
the commercial system, Dr Smith showed that wealth does not consist in gold
and silver, but in the abundance of the various necessaries, conveniences, and
luxuries of life ; that labour is the only source of wealth ; and, in opposition to
the French economists, that labour is productive, when employed in manufac-
tures and commerce, as well as in agriculture. He has investigated the various
causes by which labour may be rendered most productive ; and has shown how
immensely its powers are increased, by being divided among different indivi-
duals, or nationsL He has proved, with great power of reasoning, that all re-
strictions upon either the internal or external commerce of a country, are in the
highest degree absurd and pernicious ; and that the progress of real opulence
will be most rapidly accelerated, when the industry of every indiridual and na-
tion is employed in the production of those articles for which, either from na-
tural or artificial causes, they are best adapted, and when tlie most unlimited
freedom of making exchanges is every where allowed. < * It is the maxim of every
prudent master of a family,** he remarks, B. iv. c. 3, ^' never to attempt to
make at home, what it will cost him more to make than to buy. The tailor

283

ABAM SMITH, UJ)., F.R.S.

does not aliempt to make hii own shoes, bat buys them of the shoemaker ; the
shoemaker does not attempt to make his own clothes, but employs a tailor.
The farmer attempts to make neither the one nor the other, but employs those
different artificers ; all of them find it for their interest to employ their whole
industry, in a way in which they hare some advantage over their neighbours,
and to purchase with a part of its produce, whaterer else they have occasion for.*
*' What is prudence in the conduct of any private ftmily, can scarce be folly in
that of a great kingdom. If a foreign country can supply us with a commodity
cheaper tlian we ourselves can make it, better buy it of them with some part of
the produce of our own industry, employed in a way in which we have some ad-
vantage.*' '' The natural advantages which one country has over another in pro-
ducing particular commodities, are sometimes so gnat, that it is acknowledged
by all the world, to be in vain to struggle with them. By means of ghaseM, hot-
beds, and hot-walls, very good grapes can be raised in Scotland, and very good
wine can be made of them, at about thirty tiroes the expense for which at least
equally good can be brought from foreign countries. Would it be a reasonable
law to prohibit the importation of all foreign wines, merely to encourage the
making of claret and burgundy in Scotland ? But if there would be a manifest
absurdity in turning towards any employment thirty times more of the capital
and industry of the country, than would be necessary to purchase from foreign
countries an equal quantity of the commodities wanted ; there must be an ab-
surdity, tliough not altogether so glaring, yet exactly of the same kind, in
turning towards any sudi employment a thirtieth, or even a three*hundredtli
part more of either."

But though Dr Smith contended upon conrect principles for unlimited iree-
dom of trade and commerce, and conceived that all the different branches of
industry must be advantageous to society, he was of opinion that all were not
equally advantageous. Agriculture he conceived to be the most productive em-
ployment in which capital could be engaged ; the home trade to be more pro-
ductive than the foreign ; and the foreign than the canying trade. But these
distinctions are evidently erroneous. The self-interest of individuals will al-
ways prevent them from employing their capital in manufactures, or in com-
roerce, unless they yield as large profits as they would have done, if they had
been employed in agriculture : and a state being only a collection of indivi-
duals, whatever is most beneficial to them, must also be most advantageous to
the society. Dr Smith has made another mistake In regard to the productive-
ness of labour. He divides all labourers into two classes, the productive and
the unproductive ; and he limits the class of productive labourers to those whose
labour is immediately fixed, and realized in some Tendible commodity. But
certainly all labour ought to be reckoned productive, which, either directly or
indirectly f contributes to augment the wealth of a society. It is impossible io
hold that the labour of an Arkwright, or a Watt, was unproductive.

Few diapters in the ''Wealth of Nations " are more valuable, than that in
which the illustrious author explains the causes of the apparent inequality in
tlie wages and profits derived from different employmentf. He hos shown, in
the fullest and most satisfactory manner, that when allowance is made for all the
advantages and disadvantages attending the different employments of labour
and stock, wages and profits must, in the same neighbourhood, be either perfect-
ly equal, or continually tending to equality. The drcumstanoes which he
enumerates, as making up for a low state of woges in some employments, and
counterbalancing a high one in others, are five in number. First, the agree-
ableness or disagreeableness of the employments themselves; secondly, the easi-
ness and cheapness, or the difficulty and expense of learning them ; thirdly.

ADAM SMITH, LL.D., F.R,S.

289

tlte constancy or inoonitancy of employment in them ; fourthly^ the small or
great trust which must be reposed in those who exercise them ; and, fifthly, the
probability or improbability of success in them. Differences in the rate of pro-
^t seem to be occasioned, chiefly from the risk to which capital is exposed, be-
ing greater in some employments than in others.

One of the most important inquiries in political economy, is the inrestigation
of the laws which regulate the exchangeable ralue of the di/Terent productions
of industry ; and the disquisitions of Dr Smith on this subject, are extremely
raluable. He has shown, in opposition to the opinion commonly before enter-
tained on the subject, that the price of commodities, the quantity of which may
be indefinitely increased, does not depend upon their scarcity or abundance,
but upon the cost of their production ; thai although variations in the supply of
any article, or in the demand for it, may occasion temporary variations in its
exchangeable value, the market price is permanently regulated by the natural
price, and on an average corresponds with it. In estimating the elements,
however, which form the necessary price of commodities, he has fallen into
some very important errors, particularly with regard to rent, which, from being
unacquainted with the causes that produce it, he considered to be one of the
component parts of price. It was subsequently suggested by Dr Anderson,
and more specifically laid down by Ricardo and others, that rent is the differ-
ence between the product of the fruitful soil of a country, (in comparison with
the amount of labour and capital expended on it,) and tlie product of such less
fruitful soil, as the pressure of population renders it necessary to bring into
cultivation ; and that rent being the difference between returns from an equal
amount of capital applied to superior soils, and to that which is the most un-
productive, is the effect, and not the cause, of the deamess of agricultural pro-
ducts ; and cannot, therefore, form an element in their natural price.

The error which Dr Smith has fallen into, with regard to rent, is certainly
the most important mistake in the ** Wealth of Nations," and has vitiated a con-
siderable part of the work.^ Among other mistakes, it has led him into error,
in regard to the ultimate incidence of different taxes, and the circumstances
which determine the rate of wages and profits. Had the illustrious author, too,
been acquainted with the true theory of rent, he would not have contended
that com^ upon an average, was the most invaiiable of all commodities in its
value.

Many other important subjects, besides those ire have so briefly noticed, are
discussed by Dr Smith ; but we cannot farther extend our remarks. With all
its defects, the " Wealth of Nations " ivill ever remain a great standard work in
the science of political economy, and an illustrious monument of the genius and
talents of its author. The publication raised him to the highest rank in the
literary world ; and he enjoyed, during fifteen years, the fame which he had so
justly acquired. His work soon after being published, was translated into all
the languages of Europe ; his opinions were referred to in the house of com-
mons, and he himself consulted by the minister. Before his death, too, he had
the satisfaction of seeing that the principles of commercial freedom, which ha
lud so ably advocated, were beginning to influence the coundls of Great Bri«
tain, and other European states.

A few months after the publication of the " Wealth of Nations/' Dr Smith
lost his highly esteemed friend, Mr Home, who died upon the 25th of August,
177G. Dr Smith was most assiduous in his attentions during the last illness of
this illustrious roan ; and gives an interesting account, in a letter to Mr Stralian

* Dr Smith's theor>' of rent, however, is not irithout Its defenders. See, in particular,
the VVfsiminster Review.

iV. 10

290

ADAM 6MITH, LLJ).,F.R.S.

of London, of the drcumitanoes attondinf hU doath, ftnd a etdogium upon his
chnractar. To thoia who are aoquainted with Mr Honied reltgiout opinioni,
loino parU of thit eulogiom muit certainly BfP«ar too high ; and ^ author
was, aeoordtngrlyy attacked on the subject hy Dr Home, bishop «f Norwidi, who
rashly ascribed to biniy without any OTidenoOy the nase eeepticri opinions which
had been entertained by his iUiHtrlous friend.

Dr Smith resided chiefly in London for about two yean after his great work
had been giren to the public, during whidi time his society was courted by the
most distinguished persons in the metropolis. In 1778, lie wss appointed one
of the commissioners of customs in Scotland, thrtnigh the unsolicited appKoa-
tion of his friend and former pupil, the duke of Buodevdu Upon obtaining
this appointment, he remored to Edinburgh, where he spent tiie remaining yean
of his life, enjoying comparative affluence, and the eeeiety of liis earliest and
meet esteemed friends. His mother, who waa then in extreme old age, accom-
panied him to town ; and his cousin, Miss Jane Douglas, who had formerly
been a member of his family In Glasgow, underle^^ the superintendence of his
domestic arrangementSi

The accession to his income which he had now obtained, enabled him to
gratify, to a much greater extent than formerly, the natural generosity of his
disposition. '' The state of his fiinds at the time of his death,^' Mr Stewart re-
marks, '' compared with his rery moderate establishment, confirmed, beyond a
doubt, what his intimate aoquaintances had often suspected, that a large pro«
portion of his sarings was allotted to offioes of secret charity.''

In 1787, Dr Smith was elected lord rector of the unireieity of Glasgow. A
letter addreesed to the principal of the nnireitity on the occasion, ehows Oe
high sense he felt of this honour. ** No preferment,^ he writes, ** eould hare
given me so much real satislaotion. No man oan owe greater obligations to a
society, than I do to the unireiirty of Glasgow. They educated use : ttiey sent
roe to Oxford. Soon after my return to Scotland, they •elected me one of their
own members ; and afterwards preferred me to anotiier office, to whk^ the
abilities and virtues of the never to be forgotten Dr Hutchesoo, had giran a
superior degree of illustratioo. The period of thirteen yean, whksh I apent as
a member of that society, I remember as by fttr ^ most useful, and therefore
as by far the happiest and most honourable period of my life : and now, after
three and twenty years' absence, to be remembered in so very agreeable a nmn«
ner by my old friends and protectors, gives nie a heartfelt joy, which I cannot
easily express to you.»»

During the last residence of Dr Smith in EdisA>urgh, his studies appear to
have been almost entirely suspended. The petty routine duties of his oAoe,
though requiring little exertion of thought, weraeufllcient to oeeupy a consider-
able portion of his time and attention ; and it is^leeply to be regretted, that,
in all probability, these duties alone pievented him from gif iog 4hat ^' Account
of the general principles of Law and GoiwmaMnt, and of tiM difloroBt Bev<da-
tions they have nndergone in the diflbrsnt ages and peviods of aodety,** whidi
he had stated in the concluding paragraph of the ** Theory of Moral flenti-
ments," it was his intention to dow

In 1784, Dr Smith lost his mother, to whom he had been most tenderly at-
tached ; and her death was followed, four years aftevn-avda, by that of Miss
DoughM. These domestic aAictions oontributed to hastesi the dedine of his
health. His constitution had never been vobnst, and began early to give way.
His last illness, which arose from a chronic obstruction of Ihe bowels, was
lingering and painful. He had the consolation, however, of receiving the ten*

ADAH SMITH, LL.P., ?.ItS» 291

derett sywpathy of h» friends ; and he hem hii affliction with th« most pArfect
reMgnotion. Uit. death took f^ce in July, 1790.

A few dayt befon his death , when Dc Smith found his end rapidly
appreaehiagy he eaused all liis manusccipts to be destroyed excepting a
feir essays, which he eatnisted to the eare of his executors, Dr Black and Dr
Hutton. The intention of destroying all those ef his manuscripts which he
did not think \iiovthy of publication, he had long entertained, aad seems to have
proceeded fvon » hHtdable. anxiety in seganl to his literary reputation. It is
not exactly knoim what were the contents of the- manuscripts which were de-
stroyed, but there is e^^ery reason to believe that they consisted in part of the
lecturos on rhetoric and belles lettnss which he had delivered at £din-
burgh Id L74d, and of the lectums on natnral religion and juriiprudenoe, which
formed an important part ef the course he had delivered at Glasgow. Of the
essays whieh were left to the eare of his friends six were published a few years
after his death by his iUoitrious executors. Three of them are fragments of a
great work which he at one time intended to write on the principles which lead
and direct philosophical inquiries^ but which he had long abandoned as far too
extensive. The first contains the history of astronomy, which seems to be the
roost complete of the three ; the second contains tlie history of ancient
physics ; and the third glides the history of the ancient logics and metaphysics.
To these essays, w*hich are all ^vritten upon the plan of his Essay on the forma*
tion of the Languages, are subjoined other three, which treat, 1st. Of the na*
ture of that imitation which takes place in what ace called the Imitative Arts,
dnd. Of the affinity between certain English and Italian Verses ; and 3rd. Of
the External Senses. As te the merits of these essays the distinguished
editors express their hopes ** that the reader would find in tliem that happy
connexion, that fhll and accurate expression, and that clear illustration whic!(
are conspicuous in the rest of the author's works, and that though it is dtfilcult
to add much to tlie great fame he so justly acquired by his other writings, these
would be read with satisfaction and pleasure.*' The library which Dr Smith
had collected during his life though small was valuable. The books were well
selected, and he was particularly careful that the bijous which he admitted
into his oolleetion should be in excellent order. Mr Smellie, in his life of
Dr Smiih, says, " The first time I happened to be in his library, observing me
looking at the books with some d^ree of curiosity and perhaps surprise, for
most of the volumes were elegantly, and some of them superbly bound, — * You
must have remarked,' said he, * tlut I am a beau in nothing but my books."'
This valuable library, together with the rest of his property. Or Smith
bequeathed to Mr David Douglas, advocate, his cousin.

We shall close this sketch of Dr Smith's life with a few observations on his
habits and private character, extracted from the valuable Account of his Life
and Writings given by Mr Stewart.

** To his private worth, the meet certain of all testimonies may be found in
that confidence, respect, and attachment which followed him through all the
various relations of life ; the secenity and gayety he enjoyed under the pressure
of his growing infirmities, and the warm interest he felt to the last in every-
thing Gonneeted with the welfare of his friends, will be long remembered by a
small ciiTle, with whom, as long as liis strength permitted, he regularly spent
an evening in the week ; and to whom tiie recollection of his worth still forms
n pleasing, though melancholy bond of union.

*\ The more delicate and cliaracteristical features of his mind, it is perhaps
Impossible to trace. That there were many peculiarities both in his manners
and in his intellectual habits was manifest to the most superficial observer ; but

^

^92

ADAM SMITH* LL.])^ F.R.S.

Altliough, to ihoie who knew hiaiy these peculiaridet detracted nothing from the
respect which his abilities coiiimaDded ; and, although to his intimate frieoiU
they added an inexpressible diarm to his conreitalion, while they displayed in
the most interesting light the artless simplicity of his heart ; yet it would re-
quire a very skilful pencil to present them to the public eye. He was certain-
ly not fitted for the general commerce of the world* or for the business of actire
life. The oomprehensire speculations with wbidi he had been oocupied from
his youth, and the variety of materials which his own invention continually sup-
plied to his thoughts, rendered him habitually inattentive to familiar objects,
and to common occurrences ; and be frequently exhibited instences of absence
which have scarcely been surpassed by the fancy of La Bniyere. Even in com*
pany he was apt to be engrossed with his studies ; and appeared, at times, by
the motion of his lips, as well as by his looks and gestures, to be in the fervour
of composition. I have often, however, been struck, at the distance of yean*
with his accurate memory of the most ti-lfling partioulait, and am inclined to
believe, from this and some other circumstances, that he possessed a power, not
perhaps uncommon among absent men, of recollecting, in consequence of subset
quent efforts of reflection, many occurrences which at the time wlien they hap-
pened did not seem to have sensibly attracted his notice.

** To the defect now mentioned, it was probably owing that he did not fall
in easily with the common dialogue of conversation, and that he was aomewliat
apt to convey his own ideas in the form of a lecture. When he did so, how-
ever, it never proceeded from a wish to engross the discourse, or to gratify his
vanity. His own inclination disposed him ao strongly to enjoy in silence the
gayety of those around him, that his friends were often led to concert little
ichemes in order to engage him in the discuuions most likely to interest him.
Nor do I think I shall be accused of going too far when I say, that he was
scarcely ever known to start a new topic himself, or to appear unprepared upon
those topics that were introduced by others. Indeed, his conversation was
never more amusing than when lie gave a loose to his genius upon the very few
branches of knowledge of whicli he only possessed the outlines.

** The opinions he formed of men upon a slight acquaintance were frequents
ly erroneous ; but the tendency of his nature inclined him much more to blind
partiality, than to ill-founded prejudices. The enlarged views of human aflairs
on whidi hie mind habitually dwelt* left him neither time nor inclination to
study in deteil the uninteresting peculiarities of ordinary characters, and nc*
cordingly, though intimately acquainted with the capacities of the intellect and
the workings of the heart, and accustomed in his theories to mark with the
moit delicate hand the nicest shades both of genius and of the passions ; yet in
judging of individuals it sometimes happened that his estimates were in a sur-
prising degree wide of the truth.

** The opinions to which in the tlioughtlessness and confidence of his social
hours, he was accustomed to hasard on books and on questions of speculation,
were not uniformly such as might have been expected from the superiority of
his understanding, and the singular consistency of his philosophical principles.
They were liable to be influenced by accidental circumstances, and by tlie
humour of the moment : and when retailed by those who only saw him occa-
sionally, suggested false and contradictory ideas of his real sentiments. On
these, however* as on most other occasions* there was always much truth, as
well as ingenuity in liis remarks; and if the different opinions which at
different times he pronounced upon the same subject had been all combined to-
gether, so as to modify and limit each other, they would probably have aflorded
materials for a decision equally comprehensive and just. But* in the sodety of

TOBIAS GEORGE SMOLLETT.

293

his friendf, he had no disposition to form those qualified conclusions that we
admire in his writings ; and he generally contented himself with a bold and
masterly sketch of the object from the first point of Tiew in which his temper
or his fancy presented iL Something of the same kind might be remarked
when he attempted in the flow of his spirits to delineate those characters whicli
from long intimacy he might hare been disposed to understand thoroughly.
The picture was always lively and express! ve, and commonly bore a strong and
amusing resemblance to the original^ when viewed under one particular aspect ;
but seldom^ perhaps, conveyed a just and complete conception of it in all its
dimensions and proportions. In a word^ it Xras the fiiult of his unpremeditated
judgments to be systematical, and too much in extremes.

'' But in wliatever way those trifling peculiarities in his manners may
be explained, there can be no doubt that they were intimately connected with
the genuine artlessness of his mind. In this amiable quality he often recalled to
his friends the accounts that are given of good La Fontaine ; a quality which
in him derived a peculiar grace from the singularity of its combination with
those powers of reason and of eloquence which in his political and moral
writings have long engaged the admiration of Europe.

" In his external form and appearance there was nothing uncommon.
When perfectly at ease, and when warmed with convenation, his gestures were
animated^ and not ungraceful ; and in the society of those he loved, his
features were often brightened with a smile of inexpressible benignity. In the
company of strangers his tendency to absence, and perhaps, still more, his
consciousness of this tendency, rendered his manner somewhat embarrassed, —
an effect which ivas probably not a little heightened by those speculative ideas
of propriety, which his recluse' habits tended at once to perfect in his concep-
.tion, and to diminish his power of realizing. He never sat for his picture ;
but the medallion of Tasste conveys an exact idea of his profile, and of the
general expression of his countenance."

SMOLLETT, Tobias, or, to give him his full name, as it appears in the bap-
tismal record, Tobus Gkobob Shollbtt, a celebrated novelist, poet, and mis-
cellaneous writer, was born in the old house of Dalquhurn, near the modern
village of Ronton, in the parish of Cardross, Dumbartonshire, in the year 1731 .
His family had held considerable local rank for several centuries. His grand-
father. Sir James Smollett, of Bonhill, served as commissioner for Dumbarton,
in the Scottish parliaments, between the Revolution and the Union ; in the lat-
ter negotiation, he was chosen a commissioner on the Scottish side. Archibald,
the fourth son of this gentleman, by Jane, daughter of Sir Aulay Macaulay, of
Ardincaple, received a liberal education, but was bred to no profession. With-
out previously consulting his father, he married Barbara Cunningham, daugh-
ter of Mr Cunningham, of Gilbertfield, near Glasgow; a woman of distinguished
understanding, taste, and elegance, but no fortune. Sir James, though dis-
pleased with the match, as having been entered into without his knowledge,
provided for his son, by giving him a liferent of his farm of Dalquhurn ; whicli,
with an annuity, made his income about £S00 a-year.

Archibald Smollett had three children. Soon after the birth of the youngest,
tlie subject of this memoir, he died, leaving his family entirely dependent on
the bounty of his father. Tobias very early gave promising indications of a
lively wit and vigorous understanding, which were cultivated, not only by the
fond partiality of his mother, but by a frequent intercourse with his venerable
grandfatlier, whose long experience ** in courts and great affairs," conspired
with his natural inclination, in directing his attention to the study of the con-
duct and diaiaclera of men, and the science of life. He received the rudi.

204 TOBIAS 6£0BfiE SMOLLETE.

I

■MuU of •ducaiaon at the iMigbbouring tchool of DunbArtOB^ which wm thon
taught by Mr Joha Lofo, a diaiinguiabed gwammariany wftll known for bit «».
trovaniea with Euddiman.

Tba Meao of SiiiollaU*i ebildhood noa th« oumI favouxable that could bt oon*
ceived for nuniog an infiuii poet. Abounding in all the chanaa of naUural
scenery^ it bung on tbo vory eonfinoa of that rude romantic land, where still the
Highbinder roamed in untamed pride, eiibibiting nearly all tbo prinitiTe £»•
tuces of a nomadic tribe^ Within a fow milee of Smollett*! reaidenco^ undo* the
roof of bia courtly gmndfather^ the tcaveller would have loai hiroaolf in tho wiM
domaina of tlie Hadarlanea and JMacgregon ; men who eren atiU stood out in
anna against the sway of dviliaation, and Barely appeared beyond the thveohrid
of the hilla, except on aome predatory exeuraion, or some wild crusade against
the existing political and religious aettlementa of tbo country. Far and wide over
I tho beautiful lowland region, inhabited by Smollett, wove aeon the lofty topa of
Ben Lomond, Ben More, and otbera of the kindred of hilla, whoae dim and
miaty grandeur waa calculated to awaken viTid aaeociationa, regarding tlio
character of the country and tta inhabitanta. On the oth«r hand, he beheld,
rising from his natire valley, the caallea of Caadrosa and Dumbaaton, in one of
which the heroic Robert Bruce had apeot hie latter yeara, and breathed hia
laat ; while, in the other, Wallace bad often defied his country's fbea, and waa
at length* immured as a prisoner. It waa probably under the influence of tbia
neighbourhood, that Smollett, like Buma, waa, at a rery early period, streck
tvith admiration of the character of Wallace, whcee adventurea, reduced fimn
tlie Tocse of Blind Harry, by Hamilton of Gilbertiield, were in every boy's
band, and formed a constant theme of fire-side and nuieery atoriesu To audi a
degree aroao Smoliett*h enthuaiasm on thia aubject, that, ere he had guttled
Dumbaaton achool, he wrote rersea to tho memory of the Scottish champion.^

The romantic disposition of Tobiae Smollett, tfaua nursed, made him wish to
be a soldier. He was thwarted, however, in thia predilection, by his grand-
father, who, having already permitted the elder brother, James, to engage in a
military career, thought he could better advance the prospects of the yoonger
in a diatinct course of life. Tobias waa, therefore, aent to study at Gbugow
college, with a view to aome of the learned profeaeiona. There ho waa led,
by the intimacy he formed with aome of tfie medical atndenta, to embrace
the profeaaion of physic, which he forthwith studied, along with anatomy, under
( j ! the proper professors, at the same time that he served an apprentlceahip in town,
I P to a sui^eon, named Gordon, whom he is supposed to have afterwarda cari-
I 1 1 catured in « Hoderick Random," under the title of PaUon. His talent for
I satire and poignant remark, was here gradually developed, in Avour of such
1 1 specimena of affectation, hypocrisy, and meanneaa^ aa fell under hia obaervation*
I ' He naa alao given to what are called practical jokea. One winter erening,
j I when the atreeta were covered with snow, be was engaged in a snow-ball fight
with some boys of his own age, among whom waa the apprentice of a surgeon,
whom he is supposed to have delineated under tlie name of Crab iu " Hoderick
Random." The master of this apprentice having entered his shop, while the
youth was in the beat of the engagement, rebuked him very severely on his re-
turn, for having quitted the shop. The boy excused himself, by saying that, while
«ngag«d in making up a precci-iption, a fellow had bit him with a snow4tall,
and be liad gone in pursuit of the delinquent. ^ A mighty probable story, tnily,"
said the master, in an ironical tone ; ** I wonder how long I should stand here,
before it would enter into any mortaFs head to throw a snow-ball at me." Just
as he pronounced these words, Smollett, who had overheard them at the door,
^ It is also recorded that he vri-ote satires on his school-felIo^TS.

! •

I

TOBIAS GEOEOB SMOLLETT.

293

gave him a moit unexpected answer, by throwing a snow-ball^ which hit him a
very severe blow on the face, and extricated his companion.

But the early years of Smollett were deroled to better pursuits than these.
While still studyinjf medicine at the college, he competed a tragedy on the
death of James L of Scotland, styled the V Ikgicide ;" and which, though not
calculated for the stage, certainly displayed considerable ability.

While in tiis eighteenth year, he had the misfortune to lose his grandfather,
who 4ied without making any provision for either him or any of the rest of his
father's family. He, tfaerelore, resolved to seek his fortune in London ; while
his sister, having married Mr Telfer, a respectable and wealthy gentleman ol
Lanarkshire, was able to afford an asylum to his mother, tiis >ekler brother,
James, who had before this entered the army, and reached the rank of captain,
was lost at sea, off the coast of Amerka.

The stock with which Smollett, at nineteen^ entered upon London life, con«
sisted of a small sum of money, a large assortment of letters of introduistion, a
mind stored with professional knowledge and general literature, a rich vein of
humour, and an engaging penon and addreo. He tried, at fint, to get his
tmgedy brought upon the stage ; but the attempt only brought him disappoinU
ment and chagrin. His inenda, however, wete able to psocum him an ap-
pointment as surgeon*« mate to a ship of the line ; in which capacity he sailed,
in 1741, in the unfortunate expedition to Garthagena, under adn^ral Vernon
and general Went worth. Of this blundering affair, he published a most faith-
ful and spirited account in his *' Compendium of Voyages and Trarels^^ seven
volumes, octavo, 1766 ; as also^ what may be styled a personal nanrative, in
" Roderick liandom." He was so much disgu^d with his aituation, that,
though he iuid the prospect of promotion, he guiited the servioeat Jamaica, where
he resided for seme time. On his return to Brilain, in 1746, lie was met by
accounts of the imrbarities exercised by. the duke of Cumberland^ army in the
north of Scotland ; which, notwithatanding that his political principles were
whiggish, drew from him an indignant boitt of poteialic eleqiienoe, in the
waiiJcnown ode, beginning —

Moum, haplssiy Caledonia, mourn ;
Thy bBoished peace, thy laurels torn t

He is said to have originally finished dils production in six stanzas ; but some
individuals having represented to him, that such an expression of sentiment
might give offence, and retard his progren in life, he sat down, in a fit of still
more vehement indignation, and, almost instantaneously, produced the seventh
stanza, beginning —

While the warm blood bedews my veins,
And imlmpured remembnuice raigm,
R«niembmnoe of my oountry's UXb
Within my filial hrmst shaU h^L

An anecdote, wluch shows that Smollett^ like many ofher men of distingnislied
genius, was

** Too fond of the right, ta pnnue the expedient."

The above anecdote is taken from Dr Anderson^ accurate life of Sm<dlett ;
but that the subject of our memohr was in London, between 1741 and 1746, is
abundantly clear from the following letter, which is here, for the fint time,
committed to print : —

29G TOBIAS GEORGE SMOLLETT.

'' Dear Sir, — I am this minute happy in youn, ^vhich affords me all the satis-
faction of hearings from you, without the anxiety naturally flowing from its me-
lancholy occasion ; for I was informed of the decease of our late friend by a
letter from Mr Gordon/ dated the day after hit death.

** All those (as well as my dear Barclay) who knew the intimacy betwixt us,
must imagine that no stroke of fate could make a deeper impression on my soul
than that which severs me for ever from one I so entirely lored ! from one who
merited unirerul esteem ; and who, had he not been cut off in the rery blossom
of his being, would have been an ornament to society, the pride and joy of his
parents, and a most inestimable jewel to such as were attached to him, as we
were, by the sacred ties of love and friendship. my dear Ritchie, little did
I tliinky at our last parting, we should never meet again ! How many hours,
days, nay, years, of enjoyment, did I promise myself on the prospect of seeing
Ihee again ! How has my heart throbbed at 'thy imaginary presence ! And
how oft have I convened with thee by the indulgence of a dream ! Even when
I waked to my disappointment, I flew to pleasing hope for refuge, and reflected
on the probability of real gratification ! But now, alas, even that forsakes me.
Hope itself lies buried with its object, and remembrance strives to soothe itself
by recalling the delightful scenes of past intercourse ! Dear brother, this is a
theme I can scarce quit ; my imagination broods o*er my melancholy, and teems
with endless sentiments of grief and tendernesiL My weeping muse would fain
pay a tribute to his manes ; and, were I vain enough to think my verse would
last, I would perpetuate his friendship and his virtue.

'' As for the particulars you expect from me, you must wait until I shall be
better informed myself: for, to tell you an extraordinary truth, I do not know,
as yet, whether you had better congratulate or condole with me. I wish I was
near you, that 1 might pour forth my heart before you, and make you judge of
its dictates, and the several steps I have lately taken ; fn which case, I am
confident you and all honest men would acquit my principles, howsoever my pru-
dentials might be condemned. However, I have moved into the house where
the late John Douglas, surgeon, died, and you may henceforth direct for Mr
Smollett, surgeon, in Downing Street, West My respects wait on Mr John
Gordon and family ; and pleaie let my condolence and best wishes be made ac-
ceptable to the parents of my much lamented friend. At the same time, receive
younelf the additional portion of aflbction he possessed in the heart of

" Youp own,

" T*. SSIOLLXTT.*

«' London, May 23nd, 1744.

** Willy Wood, who is just now drinking a glass with me, ofiers you hia
good wishes, and desires you to present his compliments to Miss Becky Bogle.

*• T. S."

In 1746, Smollett published a satirical poem, in the manner of Juvenal, en-
titled *' Advice," and aimed at some of the chief political characters of the day.
In the beginning of 1747, appeared a continuation of the same production,
under the title of ** Reproof," which attacked all kinds of odious characters,
military cowards, armyocontractors, usurers, gamesters, poetasters, &c. The
keen and energetic expressions of those poems, caused the author to be re-
spected, dreaded, and detested, tlie usual fate of satirists.

During his residence in Jamaica, Smollett had formed an attachment to Miss

Lascelles, an elegant and accomplished young lady, of respectable connexions

in that island, and who had the expectation of a fortune of £3000. He now

married Miss Lascelles, and, setting up an elegant domestic establishment is

* Probably his former master at Glasgow.

TOBUS 6E0RGII SMOLLETT.

297

London, indulged in a styU of life suitable to hii own generous dispoaition, and
the taste and education of his wife. Being disappointed, howerer, of the ex-
pected fortune of Mrs Smollett, which cost him an expensire and Texatious law-
suit, \rithout erer being realized, he was obliged to hate recourse to his pen for
subsistence, and produced his norel of ** Roderick Random,** in two Tolumes
(L748); a work founded partly upon the incidents of his own life, though in
no very decided manner. The singular humour of thu work, its anuuung truth
to nature, and the entertainment which it is calculated to aAbrd to minds of
all orders, secured it a most extensive sale, and raised both the fortune and the
fame of the author. It was followed by the publication of the " Regicide/'
which was also profitable ; and in 1750, Smollett paid a risit to Parisp

In 1751, when as yet only thirty yean of age, he produced '< Peregrine
Pickle," in four rolumes ; a more regular, and perhaps more elaborate novel
tlian ** Roderick Random," but hardly so entertaining, and certainly much
more obnoxious than its predeceisor, to the charge of licentiousneis and coarse-
ness, in some of its passages. It is somewhat remarkable, that neither in this
novel, nor in *' Roderick Random," does he make his hero a perfect gentle-
man : in both ciiaracters, the mixture of selfishness and want of principle, is very
great. It is further remarkable, that, while the humour of the two works is be-
yond all parallel in the English language, there is hardly a single dash of pathos,
or even of pure and virtuous feeling. It must be concluded, indeed, from these
and all the other productions of Smollett, that though himself an honourable and
generous man, he cherished no notions of high and abstract goodness : the fide-
lity and kindness of Strap and Bowling, though sometimes touching, are too
eridently referable to the simplicity of their respective dasses, to countervail
against our observations. The fine passage, also, in Peregrine Pickle, where the
exiled Jacobites bewail from the quay of Boulogne, the land they can still see,
but must never again tread, is only an accidental narration of a real anecdote.
The chief person alluded to, ^vos a Mr Hunter, of Bumside, whom Smollett
had met at Boulogne, under the circumstances described, when engaged in his
French tour.

After a vain attempt to get into practice as a physician — for which purpose
he published a medical pamphlet, and obtained the degree of Doctor of
Physic — he assumed the character of an author by profession, and retired to a
small house at Chelsea, where he lived for some yearsL The unmerciful manner
in which he had lashed the ministry, precluded all court patronage, even if it
had been the fashion of the court of Geoige II. to extend it. He depended
solely on the booksellers, for whom he wrought in the various departments of
compilations, translations, criticisms, and miscellaneous essays. In 1753, he
produced his novel, entitled " The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom;"
a work which appears to be founded upon a mistake both in morals and meta-
physics. To exhibit the details of a life spent in one uninterrupted series of base
and fraudulent transactions, cannot be favourable to the morals of the world in
any case ; but the greatest objection is that such a work is a monstrosity, be-
cause no such character ever existed or can exist. In every riew of the case
it were better for the literary and moral reputation of Smollet, that this work
had never been written. In the beginning of 1755, he published his transla-
tion of Don Quixote, which, though esteemed less faithful than others
previously given to the English public, conveys more perfectly, because more
freely, the humour of the author. This work was very profitable to the
translator.

Smollett now revisited his native country for the first time since he had first
left it On arriving at Scotston, in Peebleshir» where his mother resided

208

TOBIAS 6E0R6S SMOLLETT.

with her daug(hier, Mn Telfer, it waf arranged that be should be introduQed to
the old lady a« a gODtleman from the West Indtea, who wm intiwately
aoquainted with her ■on. The better to eapport hit aatumed chaneter, he en-
deavoured to preeerve a#ery aeriotJt oountenanee, approaching to a frown ; but
while hit mothei^t eyee were rivetted with the initinet of sfieetioB wpon
hia countenancey he eoidd not refrain from miling : she immedialely spnng
from her ohalr, and, throwing her arms around his neck, evelaimed "Ah! my
son, my son!" 8he afterwards told him that, if he had kept his austere looks
and oontinued to gloom, she might have periiaps been deostred ; Imt ** yeor
old K^ish smiloy" she added, " l>etrayed you at enoe."

After a little tear throngh the circle of hit Scottish acquaintance, he returned
to London, and commenced in 1756, the *' Critical RerieWi** which profossed
to maintain Tory priacipleo against the Whig work called the Monthly Review.
His contributions to this periodical were numerous and excellent, tiiough some-
times disgraced by intemperance of language. He soon after pubU^Awd kii
large collection of Voyages formerly alluded tow

Paming of«r a faree, entitled the "Reprisal,*' which was acted wHh
euocem in 1757, SmolieU's next work was bis ** Complete Hiaiory of £iiglaiid,"
deduced from tbe descent of Julius CsBsar, to the treaty of Aix-U-ChapeHe,
1748, which appeated in 1758 in i vols., ita As only a paii of Hame's His-
tory had hiiherto appeared, this work was tbe irrt of the kind, in which any
large sham of ability or any eonsideraUe elegance of eompoaition had been dis-
played. Tbe judgments of the writer upon political eharsoten and transactions
are by BO means in tbe most p<^ular ataain, nor are they even eonsisteiit ;
but, neverthelam, the spirit and sprightliness of the namtive seeared it appro-
bation. It met with ao extensive a sale, that, with the centinoation afterwarda
published in two siaiilar quarto volumes, it brought hua two thousand pennds,
while half as much was made by the boolcaeller to whom be sold the Coitimtt-
tion, from a mere timnsference of the copyright of that pert of the weik. It has
been declared, and never contradicted, that the four quarto vohwws, emhncing
a period of thirteen hundred years, were composed and finished for the prem in
fourteen months ; an effbrt to which nothing Imt the greatest abilities, and the
most vigorous applioation, oould have been equal The shortnem of time be-
stowed on the ** Compete History of Engtand," joined to the merit of the per-
formance, and the eonsidention of the infinite pains and pefieverance it must
luive cost him to form and digest a proper plan, compile materials, compare dif-
ierent accounts, collate authoritiea, and oon^ose, polish, and finish the woik,
will make it be regarded as one of the most striking instaacei of facility in
writing that is to be found in literary history. The work, in its entire shape,
has long been superseded ; but it has always been customary to supply the de-
fect of Hume*s wock with a continuation from Smollett, embncing the period
betiveen the Revolution and the Aooession of George IIL

Tbe one grand defect of Smollett's character was his propensity to aaUsa.
According to the report of an early companion, his conversation in company
was a continued string of epigrammatic sarcasms against one or other of those
present; a practice so disagreeable that no degree of talent could excuse it.
When he wrote satirically, it was generally in reference to aonseUiing mean,
cowardly, selfish, or otherwise odious to his own upright and generous feelings.
It did not occur to him — ^nor has it properly been considered either by
satirists or those who delight in satire — that for a private individual to set him-
self up in judgment upon a fellow being, and, without examioing any evidence
or hearing any defence, to condemn him at once and irremediably to the pillory
of the press, is an invasion of the rights of the subjects just as wicked, as it

TOBIAS 6E0R0B SHOLLBTT.

299

would be to take away from an ordinary culprit the trial by jury, and the
prinlege of being heard by counaeL Smollett was in the habit of indulging hia
propenaity Tery frequently in the Critical Renew, and, aa a natural result of
hia warm and hatty temper, he often censured and ridiculed without a proper
cause. Hence, he was perpetually subject to counter assaults from provoked
authors, and occasionally to legal prosecutions, the eifect of which was so severe
that he is found, Septeinber 33, 1758, describing himself to Dr Moore, as sick
of both praise and blame, and praying to his God that circumstances might per*
roit him to consign his pen to oblirion ! In the end of this year, in consequence
of some severe expressions he had used in the Review regarding admiral
(nowles, a proaeoution was raised against the printer ; chiefly for the purpose
6f ascertaining the author of the oflTensive article, from whom, in the event of
hia proving a gentleman, the complainant threatened to demand the usual satis-
faction. After every attempt to soften admiral Knowles had failed, Smollett
came boldly forward and screened the printer by avowing himself the author of
tlie article, and o^ering any satisfaction that might be required. Knowles, who
had sailed as a captain in the expedition toCarthagena, probably thought it beneath
him to fight a man who had been a surgeon's mate in the sam^ fleet, even though
that surgeon's mate boasted of some good Caledonian blood, and was besides
booked for immortality in the scrolls of fame. The penalty paid by SmolleU
for his rashness was a fine of one hundred pounds and an imprisonment for
three months in tiie King's Bench prison. Yet, in this misfortune, he was not
without consolation. His conduct was generally pronounced very magnani*
moua, and his friends continued to visit him in prison the same as iu liJa neat
villa at Chelsea.

To beguile the tedium of confinement, he wrote a fantastio novel, entitled
*' The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves," which appeared in detached por*
tions through the successive numbers of the British Magazine for 1760 ana
1761. This is deservedly ranked among the least happy of Smollett's perform-
ances. The drollery entirely lies in the adventures of a crazy English gentle-
man, who seta out armed cap-a-pie, in the character of a knight-enaut, and
roams through modem England, to attack vice wherever it can be found, to
protect defbnceless virtue, and remedy the evils whidi the law cannct reach.
While some amusement is afforded by the contrast of such a cltaracter with the
modem commoa*place beings amongst whom he moves, it is only the imperfect
amnsement yielded by the exhibition of natwral madness : the adventures of an
imaginary sovereign broken looee from a mad house could hardly be less
drearily entertaining. Smollett, in the haste with which he wrote his novel, has
evidently proceeded upon tlie idea of an English Dob Quixote ; without recollect-
ing that the work of the illustrious Cervantes had a rational aim, in proposing
to counteract the rage of the Spanish people for tales of knightly adventure.
His own work, having no such object, labours under the imputation of being
an imitation, without any countervailing advantage. Yet, strange to say, such
was the pre$iigs of S<nollett'8 name and example, that the work not only sold
to a great extent as a separate work, but %vtts followed by many sub-imitations,
such as the SpiritiAol Quixote, the Amicable Quixote, the Female Quixote,

In 1760, Smollett became engaged, with other literary adventurers, in a large
and important work, which was finished in 1764, in 43 volumes, under the title
of '* The Modem Part of an Univenal History." He is supposed to have coo-
tributed the histories of France, Italy, and Germany, to this work, and to have
received altogether, for his share of the labour, no less a sum than i^i575.
Throughout the same period, he was engaged in his " Continuation of the His-

300

TOBIAS GEORGE SMOLLETT.

torj of England, from 1748 to 1765/* which fint appeared in five lUfSoeniTe
ocUto Tolumes, and finally In 8 toU., 4tOy 1766. It haa been already men-
tioned that, for thii work, he la supposed to hare receired such a price
as enabled the par-naser to sell it to a bookseller at a profit of one thousand
pounds.

Smollett had been originally a Whig, but he gradually became something rery
like a Tory. A difiTusire phihnthropy, by wliich he was inspired, with perhaps
some Impressions from early education, had made him the fint ; a disgust at
the conduct of some of his party appears to have Inclined him to the second.
The aocettion of a Scottish prime minister in the earl of Bute, as it excited much
opposition among the English, so It attracted a proportionate degree of support
from the Scotch, who now very generally became adherents of the gorernnient,
from a motlre of nationality, without regard to their former political sentiments.
Smollett went Into this enthusiasm, and on the very day of the earl of Bate*s
eloTation, May 89th, 1768, he sUrted a newspaper entitled '< The Briton,*^
in which he laboured to break down the prejudices of the English against a
Scottish premier, and undertook the defence of the new administration upon its
own merits. Within a week after this erent, an opposition journal was started
by Wilkes, with whom Smollett had prenously lived on the most intimate tenm
of friendship, but who now became his political antagonist The North Briton,
(so was this paper called,) supported by the overpowering national feelings ojf
England, rery soon proved too much for Its rival; and on the 18th February ,
1763, Smollett abandoned the publication. He did not shine as a party writer,
wanting that coolness which is necessary in forming replies and repartees to all
the paragraplis with which he was assailed : like the most of proiessed
satirists, he could endure nothing so ill as satire. Lord Bute, who resigned in
the April following, is said to have never sufficiently acknowledged the serricee
of Smollett.

Among the publicatiions with which Smollett was connected about this time,
were, a translation of the works of Voltaire In tiventy-eeven volumes, and a
work in eight volumes, entitled ** The Present State of all Nations.** In the
fint his name was associated with that of the Rev. T. Francklin, translator
of Sophocles ; but in neither is it probable that much was ^vritten by his own
hand.

He had now for many years prosecuted the sedentary and laborious employ^
ment of an author by profession. Though little more than forty years of age,
and possessed originally of a ^most robust frame, he began to suffer Arom
ill health. His life, which ought to have been rendered comfortable by tlie
large sums he procured for his works, ivas embittered by ** the stings and ar-
rows" which his own satirical disposition had caused to be directed against him-
self, and by the loss of friends, which he vnm perpetually suifering, either from
that cause, or from political difi^rences. To add to his other miseries, lie had
the misfortune at this time to lose his daughter and only diild, Elinbeth, a
girl of fifteen, whose amiable disposition and elegant accomplishments had be-
come the solace of his life, and promised to be in fiiture a still more prseioua
blessing. Under this accumulation of distresses, he was prevailed upon by his
wife to seek consolation in travel; and accordingly, in June, 1763, he went
abroad, and continued in FVance about two years.

In the course of his travels, Smollett seems to have laboured under a constant
fit of ill humour, the result of morbid feelings, and a distempered bodily
system. This is amply visible in the work which he published on his return,
entitled, '' Travels tiirough France and luly," 8 vols. Svo., of which two pas-
sages may be here extracted.

TOBIAS GEORGE SMOLLETT.

301

** With refpect to the famoua Venus Pontia, conmioiily called de Medicis^ 1
beliere I ought to be entirely silent^ or at least conceal my real sentiments,
which will otherwise appear equally absurd and presumptuous. It must be
want of taste that prerents my feeling that enthusiastic admiration with which
others are inspired at sight of this statue. I cannot help thinking there is no
beauty In the features of Venus, and that the attitude is awkward and out of
character."

'* I was much disappointed at sight of the Pantheon, which, after all that has
been said of it, looks like a huge cock-pit, open at the top."

These observations upon worlcs of art that had been the subject of unirersal
admiration for centuries, could not be attributed to an original and natire
irant of taste in such a man as Smollett : they must therefore be ascribed al-
togetlier to the distempered light which disease threw around^ erery object
that claimed his attention. The morose style of his '' TraTels " called forth
universal remark ; but nothing excited more surprise than what he had said re-
garding Venus and the Pantheon. His observations upon these subjects drew
down upon him the following sarcasUc notice from Sterne.

" The learned Smelfungiis travelled from Boulogne to Paris — from Paris to
Rome— and so on ; but he set out with the spleen and the jaundice, and every
object he passed by was discoloured and distorted. He wrote an account of
them, but it was BOthing but an account of his miserable feelings ; I met SmeU
fungus in the grand portico of the Pantheon ; he was just coming out of it ;

* It is nothing but a huge cock-pit,' said he : ' I wish you had said nothing
worse of the Venus Medicis,* I replied ; for, in passing through Florence, I
had heard he had fallen foul upon the goddess, and used her worse than
a common strumpet, without the least provocation in nature. I popped
upon Smelfungus again at Turin, in his return home, and a sad and sorrowful
tale of adventures he had to tell, wherein he spoke of moving accidents by flood
and field, and of the ouintbals which each other eat : the Anthropophagi. He
bad been flayed alive, and bedeviled, and worse used than St Bartholomew, at
every stage he had come at ' I'll tell it,' said Smelfungus, ' to the world.'

* You had betteir tell it,' said I, ' to your physician.*"'

A continental tour having failed to restore health and spirits, be now re-
solved to try the eflect of native air and native scenery. About tlie beginning
of June, 1766, he arrived in Edinburgh, where he pawed some time with his
mother, who retained, at an advanced age, a strong understanding, and an un-
common share of humour, and whom he loved with all the warmth of filial afieo
tion.* He then proceeded with his sister, Mrs Telfer, and his nephew, a young
officer in the army, to Glasgow ; whence, after a brief stay, they went, accom-
panied by Dr Moore, to Cameron, the residence of his cousin, Mr Smollett, of
Bonhill, OB tlie banks of Lochlomond. During the whole time of his stay, he
was afiUcted with severe rheumatic pains, and with a neglected ulcer in his arm,
which almost unfitted him for enjoying society. 4Ie afterwards commemorated
the iropiessions, and some of the adventures which he experienced in Uiis tour,
in bis last and best novel, *' Humphrey Clinker," whidi was published in 1771,
while he resided in Italy. In the account which he gives in this novel of some
blanches of Edinburgh society, he had real characters and real customs in his

eye. The '' Mr M ," at whose house his diaiacters are represented as

having seen a haggis at table, was Mr Mitchelson, a writer to the signet, con-
nected with the family of Sir Walter Scott. The ** beautiful Miss £

' Sentimental Journey, vol. i.

« During hit residencB in EdtMburvh, he lived in his mother's house, or rather his sisterly
%l the head of St John Street, in the Quiongate.

302 T0BU9 6E0R6B SMOLLETT.

wbom Jerrj Melford signalises at » ball, was Ulas EtooiMxra Beoton,
daaghier of Joha Renion, Esq. of Lamertoo» by ladj 8aaaii> daughter of
Alexander, ninth earl of Eglintono. Her eldest sister beoane the urife of
Mr Telfer, nephew of Smollett, and oommmiieated the naaie of Bentoft to a
large manufacturing vUlage, now situated at Dslqubnm^ the birth-place of
the novelist. The young ladj whose elegant person attracted the notice. of
Smollett in 1766, was the late dowager Mrs Sharpe of Hoddam, and mother of
the ingenious historical antiquary, the late Mr Chaiks Kilpatrkk Sharpe.*

It may, perhaps, surprise those who have enjoyed the exquisite humour
of theScoUifth scenes in Humphrey Clinker, that, during the whole tour which
he lias commemorated under tbat fictitious shape, he suffered so much pain from
his arm, as to be, in some measure, menially affecUd : be acknowledges liinw
self, that, from April till November, 1766, he had a kind of cosia v^j and
that his Scottish journey, therefore, which ended in August, ** produced only
misery and disgusL'**

He spent the winter of 1766-7 in Bath, where he was so fortunate as to get
quit of liis ulcer, and recover a considerable portion of his original health. In
1760, lie published his " Adventures of an Atom,^ two vols. ISmo; a politieal
romance, or jeu d* e»prii, exhibiting, noder Japanese names, the diaraoters and
conduct of the leaders of party, from the commencement of the French war, in
1756, to the dissolution of lord Chatham*s administration, in 1767-8. Soon
afierviards, his ailmeuls having recurred with violence, he was recommended to
try once more the genial dimate of Italy ; but, his drcumstances being inade-
quate to the expense of tlie journey, and of his remaining free from all care,
but what concerned his health, application was made to obtain for bias the of-
fice of consul at Nice, Naples, or Leghorn. This application nas unsucoessful ;
because the government, as usual, could not spare any patronage, except for ita
friends. Smollett had, tlierefoiw, to set out for Italy, in 1770, under ciroum*
I stances far from easy, and which must have, no doubt, materially inc r e a se d his
personal distress^ He chose for his residence a cottage near Leghorn, situated
on a mountain side, overlooking the sea, and surrounded by eome of tlw fiurssi
scenery in Tuscany. While residing here^ he published, in 1771, "The
Adventures of Humphrey Clinker," in which his own eharaoter, aa it ap-
peared in kter life, under the pressure of bodily disease, isr delineated in the
person of Matthew Bramble. During the summer of 1774, he declined
very rapidly; and at length, on the 21st of October, death put a period to
his sufferings*

Smollett, who thus died prematurely in the fifty-first year of his age, and the
bloom of his mental faculties, was tall and handsome, with a most prepossessing
carriage and addrecs, and all tlie marks and mannen ef a gentleman. Hie
character, laying aside the unhappy propensity to sarcasm and epigram, was of
an elevated and generous cast, humane and benevolent; and he only practised
virtue too rigorously, and abhprred vice too vehemently, for bis own conlNi,
in a world of inferior morality* An initable and impatieat temper, and a
proud, improvident disposition, were his greatest, and ahnost his only £Biiingi.

« The nd ventures of Lt smahago amone tbe Indians, were perhaps sufgcstod by the real
rtorr of a lieutenant Kenned}-, who, In the seven years* war, man icd an iDdian squsw, and
was made a king by her tdbe. •• General Abercromby gave him a party of Highlanders,"
Fa)s a ntjwspnper of the day, "joined with a party of Indians, to go ▲-acALriKO, w w*kA
be had tome success He had learned tho language; paints, and dresses like an Indian*
and it is thought will be of service by his new alliance. His wife gots with him, and car-
ries his provisions on her back. " Such was tlie enlightened warfiire carried on in those timesb
notwithsiaiiding the eloquent dcnuuautions of a Chatliaml

• Letler to Dr Moore.

DB. TROMAS SOBIERVILLE.

303

Of hii geniu^'u « delineator of human eharaeteri his novels form an impemh-
aUle smmnmenty ifaongh certainly not nadefonned.by eonaiderable fanpuxify of
taste. So long as his ^ Ode to Leven Water," and his * Ode to Independency
exist* he ean never Isil to be admired aa a poet.

Three yean aiwr SmoUeftt's death, a round column, of the Tuscan oider,
with an una on its esilablatiure, was erected to his memory, nenr the house in
which he wbs born, by his cousin, Mr 6meiletty of Bonhill, who is said to have
never manifeetod any kindness towards him while he was alive. For this
menuirial, an inscription was furnished by the united labours of professor George
Stuart of Edtidairgh, Mr Kaaiay of Ochtertyre, and Ihr Samuel Johnson. Lord
Kames also arote an English epitaph, which was lost to the learned world, till
it appeacied in the work, entitled *< Traditions of Edinburgh.'' A plainer mo-
nument was erected over SsaoUett's grave at Leghorn, by his friend and
countryman, Dr Amntseag; who added a very elegant inscription.

The widow of SnioUett_the NarcUsa of << Boderidc JRandom*'_was left, a
poor widow in a fenign lasid. The small remains of her husband's fortune
had been ssitled upon her, under the trast of Mr Gmham of Gartmore, and Mr
Bontine, his Irwd and faiti^ul friends. The snm, however, was so little, thst
tius elegant weaaa was soon itirolfed in gnat distresi . It roost have added
not a little io the poignaney of Mm SaMllett's feelings, that, had her husband
lived a few years iongar, he would liave succeeded his cousin of Bonhili, as heir
of entail, in the pessessioo ef an estate of a thousand a^year, besides, peihaps,
the private wealth of that individual, worth aa much more ; all of which de-
soended to his aister, Mxa Tel£nr. It is alleged by Dr Anderson, that neither
Mr SmoUett ner Mm TeUer ever thought of extending any relief to the widow
of their distinguished ralatiTe, the man whose genius has consecrated their
family name io all posteiity. It ia kaonii, however, that Mr Smollett, almost
immsMiiately after his cousin^ death, gare a ooasidemble sum to the widow, un-
der pretence of purcbaaiBg her huaband^ iiooks, lew of which ever readied the
purchaser. We certainly cannot but regret, that Mrs Telfer after«rardt per-
mitted an act of public charity to be reaoited to for Uie relief of her kins-
woman. On tfie Srd of March, 1764, probably through the exertions of Mr
Graham of Gartmore, a benefit sms procured for her in the Theatre Royal,
Edinbuigh; on which oceasion* the play of Fwke Pretirved was acted, with
a prdogue written by Mr Graham. Uhe money, amounting, with private dona-
tions, to ^366, nas remitted te Italy ; and Uiis was all that Sceaand ever
sacrificed for the sake of one of the most Illustrious of her sona.

SOMERVILLE, (D^ Thoius, bb eminent historian, was bom at Hawick,
in Boxhufffhshire, in the spring of 17il.^ By ihe early death of his father,
who was minister of ^b» parish of Hawick, he was left an orphan, along witli
tiro siston^ his mother having predeceased her husband. His father left the
care of his early education to the nevawMiri Mr Cransioun of Anerum, and another
member of the prssbytery of Jedburgh, whose kindness and attention are evi-
denced by the afl e cti on afterwards ea^bited ton-ards them by their pupil
Having obtained the odnoation derivable ^m a provincial grammar scIkioI, he
became a atudent in the university of Edinbnrgh. He is said not to have exhi-
bited in his acquirements the precocity of talent generally recorded of men who
hare become eminent in any branch of literature ; and indeed the branch in
which he distinguished himself, when qualified by the manner in which he

1 Memoir in the Annual Obituary for 1831. As this memoir is written by a personal
fiiend of Dr Somerville, and Is both better >Tritten, and more libenil in its views, than sucli
productions genezaUy happen to be, we shall take tiie liberty of making some quotations
from it.

! 304

BR. THOMAS SOMERVILLE.

treated it, u more dependent oo a general deTelopment of aoond ordinary abi-
lities than on the exiatenee of that genioa which ahinea before the jadgment ia
matured. Nothing ieema to be known of hia earl/ habita, except hia haTii^
fiUlen from a horse, and hart hia head; a eboomatanoe vhichi not nnaatarallyy
gave him a partiality for pedestrian exereiaea during the remainder of his life.
The accident happened in Edinborgb, dose to the reiidenot of the reverend
Mr Bain, an eminent dergyman of the Relief chnroh. '^In hia fiuniiy the
patient vm§ attended for sererai montha, with a icindness and huaaanity which
made a lasting impreMioo on his mind. Often has the present writer/' oon-
tinuea the memoir above referred to, *' heard him express the pleasiii« and im-
provement he had reaped from the enlightened conversation of his worthy hoat,
during a long and tedious convalescence.*' Sonerville was licensed as a
preacher, about the year 1769. He shortly after this event returned to Roxr
burghshire» and became tutor to the son of Sir GUbert Elliott, afterwards lord
Minto, and govemoi^eneral of India. In 1767, Sir Gilbert piesanted him with
the living of Minto ; and in 177S, the sama friend procured hia promotion to the
more lucrative living of Jedburgh. At that period, exposition to the right of
patronage in Scotland waa stiU warm in the leelinga of the people, if it might
not be said to have revived. There is no doubt that Uie right was well exer-
cised, and in the midat of so much scrutiny and oppoaition, it would have been
singular had it not been so; but the very droumstance which produced
the election of such men as Mr Somerville, was naturally the cauae of oljection
to the persons chosen : and the subject of our memoir entered on his charge in
direct opposition to a great majority of his parishionen. It may bo predicated
of a man of good feeling and sense, that he would heaiUte to be the teacher of
the conscience of persons who contemned and disliked him ; but it was part of
Somerville*s political opinion to think otherwise ; and biography affbrds many
instances in which persons so swayed have been excellent men, and might have
despised the action, had it been set before them divested of its political bow-
ings. The appointment waa followed by repeated protests, but its legality ims
confirmed. " Whatever,** says the memoir, << might be the cauM of the reverend
presentee's extreme unpopularity, — whatever objections were alleged against
the orthodoxy of his creed, or his mode of public teadiing, — ^hia most strenuous
opponents were compelled to admit the correctness of his moral character ; and
several of the most discontented having seceded to the relief meeting^ tranquil-
lity waa gradually restored." Somerville commenced authoiahip by a pamphlet,
enUtled " Candid thoughts on American Independence," which appeared soon
after the commencement of the American war. Like Carapbeli, and other
members of the church of Scotland, he maintained those opinions against the
daims of the colonisU, which were eomndi opposed to the prindples on which
the church of Scotland struggled into existence, however mudi they might ac-
cord with those of iU pastors after it was firmly established. In 1703, appeared
his << History of Political Transactions, and of Parties, horn the Restoration of
Charles II. to the Death of King William.*' In his treatment of this subject,
he showed himself a member of that dass of politidans, whose doctrines are
generally founded on either or both of two opinions, connected with the times.
1st, A dislike of popery, and all persons connected with it ; and, consequently,
a love of all measures termed protestant : secondly. An afiection for the state
of things existing at the period of uriting, and such a respect for the persons,
who, by operating great changes, have brought about that existing state, as the
writer would have been the last person to feel, when the change was about to
be made. Hence Somerville is, on all occasions, not only the admirer, but the
vindicator of William, and a supporter of what are called " the principles of the

BR. THOMAS SOMERYILLE.

305

R«Folotion,*' or thote of the future permanency of the country, in the position
in which the Revolution left it Owing to the other eminent histories of the
same period, this vfotk is not so raiuable as. tlie author*s History of Queen
Anne, which appeared in 1798, with the title, ^* The History of Great
Britain, during the Reign of Queen Anne ; with a Dissei-tation concerning the
Danger of the Protestant Succession : and an Appendix, containing Original
Papers.'* This work was a raiuable accession to the literature of the period at
which it was published ; and it must still be allowed to be the most ample and
accurate, if not also the most impartial, history of the times of which it treats.
It is certainly above the average of historical works : there is nothing offensive
or affected in the style-P-vices very common among those who were secondary
to the three great historians of the last century — it is expressive and plain, and,
in many cases, elegant The reflections, if not those of a profound philosopher,
show a well thinking mind ; and, although breathing party feeling, never show
violent prejudice. That this, however, should be the best history of so remark-
able an age, is to be regretted, especially since the late discovery of many do-
cuments, illustrative of its dark transactions. A change more interesting
than that of a palpable revolution, in the gradual passage from prerogative to
influence, forms a subject for a writer more conversant with constitutional sub-
jects, and better able to discuss tliem in all their bearings, than Dr Somerville,
who is in general a better narrator of the intrigues of individual politicians, and
the diplomatic intercourse Qf nations, than a student of laws and governments,
and their effects on society. In discussing the question of the danger of the
protestant succession, the author professes, as writing at a period when the sub-
ject is not looked on with party views, not to be actuated by them. It is very
doubtful whether he was correct in the supposition, either as it refers to his
own feelings, or to those of the period ; and, independently of the information
acquired since Somerville wrote, it will perhaps hardly be denied, that there
was then enough known to show, from legitimate deduction, that what u-as
called '* the protestant succession," actually was in danger, not only from the
machinations of Bolingbroke, and the zeal of the Jacobites, but from the per-
sonal feelings of the queen. In the interval between the production of his two
great historical works, (1793,) he wTOte a pamphlet, '' On the Constitution and
State of Great Britain." About the same time, he was chosen one of the chap-
lains in ordinary to his majesty for Scotland, and elected a member of the
Royal Society of Edinbui^h. He also received the degree of doctor of divinity
from the university of Edinburgh, at what period of his life we are not aware.
At the period of the publication of his ** History of Queen Anne,'' he visited
London, and presented a copy of his work to the king, at an introduction at
St James's. A whimsical circumstance happened to him during his visit, thus
told by his biographer : — '' On the day subsequent to his arrival, while in the
lobby of the house of commons, Dr Somerville was arrested, and taken to Bow
street, on a charge of felony. Thunderstruck, and utterly incapable of ac-
counting for the strange predicament in which he was placed, our bewildered
divine could scarcely avail himself of the polite advice of the magistrate, to ap-
prise his friends of the circumstance. Meanwhile, the late lord Melville, tlien
Sir Henry Duudas, who had witnessed his seizure, entered the office, and having
satisfied the magistrate of the respectability of his countryman, indulged in a
hearty laugh at his expense. A notorious and specious swindler had been, it
should seem, a passenger on board the packet in which Di' Somerville came to
London; and being seen in the company of this man on their landing, led to his
niTest as an accomplice. This anecdote tlie writer has often heard Dr Souier-
ville relate with much pleasantrx'."

306

JOHN SPOTSWOOD.

Bwdm hit political and hiftarkid WMrka, Dr SmnervUle wrote ** Tiro Sciw
mons GOBoitiiiicatod to the 8eotdi PreMber ;** '^ A Colkction of SenrnM,** pub.
lUhed itf 1816 ; and s ■cmon «< On the NatsTe and OUigraiion of am OaUi,**
which appeared in the *' Soettidi Pulpit.* He died, after » few ^my^ iUoew,
at Jedbui^h, on the 16th May, 18dO,at tiie food old age of ninely, and in the
lixty-fourth year of hit rainiitry. Hii faeulJei were IMh to the last; and on
the Sunday prerioot to lua death, he had pr ea c h ed, end adminktered the Mcra-
ment Of hie oj^niona and deaieatic cbander, the Ibltowing panigrapha from
the memoir above relbnred to^ are d e a cri ptive, ** Political actenee hevinf hmg
been the fiifoorite atudy of Dr Somerrille, it nay lendtly be au p pea e d thai he
tools a deep intereit in all thai concerned the French Rendtttion. Bnl he wae
not one of thoae who hailed thedswn ef liberty in thai enekved and benighted
land ; on the contrary, be beheld it aa the harbinger of eril to the whole of
drilised Europe ; whUe, from the dk m n i iona to which tine erent gate nte la
hia own eouDtry, he augured the downfidl ef that eonrtitntioa, in churdi and
state, which he had so ably riadicated in his wrttingi, and which be regarded
as the iw pbu uUra of perfection. An afavnuat on principle, be iuTolred in
one sweeping condemnation, all who entertained n»%% di^vent from bis own
on this subject ; and the wild impractkable theori s ts the tempecate and pliilo-
sophical adroGBte for reform — were with hbn equally objects ef reprobation.*'
# « « «< Devoted through a long Itle to the punuito of literature, Dr
Somenrille numbered among his friends amny of the eminent achohure and
divines of his natire Scotland ; and, during hia ooeasienal risits to the British
metropolis, he was introduced to several of the distinguished Htcrati of the
south. Superior to the nman jsalousy and petty enry, whidi too oAen prevail
among the votaries of science and learning, Dr SooMmlle was at all tiaies^ and
on every occasion, eager to do justice to the talenia and merits ef hie gifted
contemporaries. No man could be more enthusiastically aUve to the transcea-
dant genius of Bums, or more foehngly deplore the metal aberrations of tint
inspired bard. In the dark hour of John Logan's eventfid lils, be stretched
towards him the supporting hand of frieadsbip, and shielded him, in some
measure, from the atucks of bigotry and illiberality, by the weight and in-
fluence of his own pure and unimpeachable diaracter. A gold-headed cane,
the parting gift of the grateful poet, when he bade a lasting adieu to Scotland,
Dr Soinervilie highly priaed, and always carried in hia hand when waHdng."

SPOTSWOOD, John, superintendent of Lothian, was descended of the an-
cient Alerse family of Spotswood of that ilk, and was bom in the year 1 5 1 Ol His
father, William Spotswood, was killed at the battle of Flodden, leaving him an
orphan at little more than three years of age. The place at which he waa edu<
cated, and the person who taught him in his eariy years, are equally unknonn
to us. We have, indeed, discovered no further notice of him, till 1534, (June
27,) when, at the very late age of four and twenty, he was entered a student in
the university of Glasgow. There was perhaps, however, some peculiarity in
his case, for he became bachelor in the very next year (February 8, 1 535) ; a
circumstance which we can only account for, on the supposition that he had
either made very remarkable profidency in his studies, or attended some of the
otlier universities previously. Spotswood, it is believed, intended to prosecute
the study of divinity ; but he became disgusted with the cruelty of the catholic
clergy, manifested most probably in the condemnation of Husseli and Kennedy,
who were burned for heresy at Glasgow, about 1538. In that year, he left his
native country, apparently horrified at the spectade he had witnessed, and at
other instances of barbarity which he must have heard of, and retired into
England. At London, he became acquainted with archbishop Granmer, to

[JOHN 8P0TSW00D.,

307

) kindneH and enooavagMwni may of our oomitrynien were indebted; and
from irboee eagoman is the diawaiaation of lniili, the beneltt derired by Scot-
land caaaot be oaaily eathnaled. Mr Speliwood remained in the south for
naariy five yean, tlwt ii» from 1538 till 1543, when Henry VIII. restored the
priaoners taken flt the disfraeefiil roul of Solway Moss. He then returned to
Sootland, in company with the earl .of Gleneaim, a nobleman well known for
his attaiAinient to proteatant principles, and resided with him for several years.
Tbrongh that nofaiennui, he became acquainted with the earl of Lennox, and
was hy him employed in a private negodation with the English court, in
1544. After residing there for some months, he returned to Scotland; but
little k known respecting him for aome yean following. In 1548, he was pre-
sented to the parsonage of Calder, by Sir James Sandelands ; and, as a con-
ataat residence at bis care waa not required, he lived for about ten years with
that gentleman, and with lord James Stenait, then prior o£ St Andrein, and
aftera-ards better known aa The Regent Murray. When commissioners were
i4»poinled by parliament, in 1558, to be present at the marriage of the
youag qneen of Scotland to the dauphin of Prance, lord James was included in
the number, and Spotawood accompanied him. Luckily, both returned in
safety from this expedition, eo fatal to many of their oompanibnSi

On the establishment of the Reformation, the first care of the protestant
party, was to distribute the very few ministers who held their sentiments, into
difSeffont parts of the country. The scarcity of qualified persons, gave rise to
some tempmrary arrangements, which were, however, afterwards abandoned,
whea the larcumstances which produced them ceased to exist. One of these
was, the establbhment of superintendenta over different districts, — an ofece
which faaa been brought forward, with but little justice, we think, by some
writers, to prove that the constitution of the Scottish church nns originally
episcopalian. Mr Spotswood had Ihe honour of being first elected, haring
been appointed to the oversight of the distria of Lothian, in March, 1560-1.
The proceedings on this occasion were conducted by John Knox; and tlie
pledges required by that aealous reformer must have impressed both the super-
intendent and the people, with a deep sense of the Importance of his office,
while it coidd not fail to he fisrounbly contrasted with the system which had
recently been abolished.

The proceedings of the church courts, afler the stimulus created by the
events immediately connected with the Reformation had some vi hat subsided,
could not be supposed Co excite amdi interest in the mind of a general reader,
unless we should eniler into asuch move minute particulars than our limits per-
mit If we cannot, t h e r e fe se, excite very deeply our reader's sympathies, we
diall not tax his patience wMnn than is necessary, to give a very brief outline of
the more important transactions with which Blr Spotswood'a name is connected.

Mr Spotswood appears to have retained the charge of his flock at Calder
after he became superintendent of Lothian ; but it cannot be supposed that
the variety and extent of hia duties permitted anything more than a very loose
and occasional attention to their interests Of this the parishioners complaiced
more .than once to the General Aasembly, hut without success ; the means of sup.
porting a superintendent being quite inadequate without the benefice of a parish.
The mere risiCation of a district seems to have been but a part of the labours of a
superintendent : there were many occasions on which these officials were called
upon to expend their time in behalf of the general interests of Uie church.
Spotswood appears to have been frequently deputed by the General Assembly
to confer with Queen Mary, with whom he was a fiivourite, upon the important
subject ef aa improvement in the provision for their maintenance. On the in-

308

JOHN SPOTSWOOD.

ter^itiDg occasion of the birth of htr ton, in June, 1666, tho GoDenl AsMmbly
tent him *' to testify their gladaeM for the prince^ birth, and to detira lie
might be baptiaed according to the form used in the Befonned church.'* Ho
did not sueoeed in obtaining a favourable, or indeed any, reply to the lattor
part of his commission, but Uie manner in which he conducted himself obtained
for him a most gracious reception. Deeply senaiblo how intimately the
nation's wellare was connected with the education of the child, he took him in
his arms, and falling on his knees, implored for him the Dirine blcMing aifd
protection. This eidiibition of unaffected piety was well calculated to toudi the
finest feelings of the souL It vruM listened to with rererential attention by the
queen, and procured for him the respect and reverence of the prince in his ma-
turer yean.

But Mr Spotswood's feelings towarda the queen were soon to undergo
a most painful change. He was too conscientious to sacrifice his principles for
tlie favour of a queen, and too sensible of the tendencies of her subsequent
conduct, and that of her party, to neglect to warn the people over whom he
had the spiritual oversight No sooner had Mary escaped from Lochleven castle,
and prepared for hostilities, than, under the liveliest convictions of the responsif
bllity of the watchman ** that seeth the sword coming and doth not blow thi
trumpet," he addressed a solemn admonition to the people within his dioceso,
warned the unsettled,— ^nd exhorted those who had ** communicated with her
odiouse impietys ** to consider their fearfiil defection from God, and by public
confession of their guilt and folly, to testify their unfeigned repentance.

After this period there ia hardly ft single fkct recorded respectmg Ur Spota-
-wood of general interest. His disposition, a» well aa his feeble atate of healthy
disposed him to retirement, and he aeena to have preferred Attending to his
dutiea as a clergyman, and thus giving an example of the peaiiefttl doctrines
which the Christian religion inculcatei^ to taking part with cither of the factions
in the struggle which succeeded. Yet, in the performance of thesedotioa ho
did not come up to the expectationa of aome of the more aealoua ministefa
within his diatnct. We find him accused of ** alaoknea in visitation of Kirks "
at the General Assemblies on several occasions. On some of tliese, the accusa*
tion, if it is merely intended to assert that he had not viaited the whole
churches, does not seem to have been made without ground; nor will his ap-
parent negHgence be considered wonderful when we mention tliat the district
of Lothian comprehended the metropolis, Stirling, Berwick, Linlithgow, and
other considerable towns ; and that, of course, it contained a greater number of
churclies than any other. Spotswood's health had aho become impaired, and
we must add to this list of extenuating circumstances, that for at least nine
years previous to 1 580,^ he had received no emolument in consideration of his
labours. In that year, however, he obtained (December 16th,) a pension for
himself and his aecond son for Uiree years of £45, 9s. 6d., besides an allow-
ance of grain for ** the thankfuU seruice done to hia hienes and his predecea-
souris," and this grant was renewed, November 36, 1583, for five years ; but he
did not lire to enjoy iU full benefit He died, December 5, 1585, in the
seventy-sixth year of his age, leaving by his wife, Beatrix Crichton, two sons,
John and James, both of whom attained a high rank in the Episcopal diurch,
and one daughter. *< He was a roan," says his son, ** well esteemed for his
piety and wisdom, loving and beloved of all persons, charitable to the poor,
and careful above all things to give no man ofibnce."

, The same writer has represented him as having in his last years changed his
sentiments respecting churdi government, and as having become 'an Episco-
palian ; but this assertion carries along with it the suspicion that the archbishop

JOHN SKITSWOOD.

309

nas more anxious to obtain for hit own conduct a partial landion in hit iather'a
opinion* than to represent tliem as they really stood.

We are not aware that Mr Spotswood is the author of any distinct or
indiridual vnxek* Such papers as be may hare written, arising out of the bual-
neis of the church courti, certainly do not deserve that* name.

SPOTSWOOD, JoHif, archbishop of St Andrem, and author of ** The His-
tory of the Churdi and State of Scodand," was one of the two sons of the sub-
ject of the preceding article. He was bom in the year 1566^ while his father,
besides sening as parish minister at Galder, acted as superintendent of Lothian,
MersOy and Teriotdale. Being a child of ** pregnant wit, great spirit,
and good memory,** he was early taught his letters, and sent to the university
of Glasgow, of which Andrew Melrille was at that time principal. He studied
languages and philosophy under James Melrille, and dlrinity under his more
celebrated undo; but the opinions of these men respecting diurch government
seem to have made no impression on their pupil. At the early age of sixteen
he took his degrees, and when only about twenty, he was appointed to succeed
his father in the church of Calder* In the various agitating disputes between
king James and the majority of the Scottish clergy respecting the settlement of
the church, the gentle and courtly character of Spotswood induced him to lean
to the riews espoused by the king, which were in favour of a moderate episco-
pacy, supposed to be more suitable than presbytery to the genius of a monarch'
ical government.

In 1601, the parson of Galder was selected by the court to accompany the
duke of Lennox as chaplain, on bis embassy to Henry IV. ; and it is said by
the presbyterian historians, that he marked the looseness of his principles on
this occasion, by attending mass in France, along with his principal. In re-
turning through England, Spotswood had an interview with queen Elisabeth.
When James proceeded to London in 1603, SpoUwood was one of Are un-
titled clergymen whom he selected to accompany him. On reaching Burleigh
house, the king received intelligence of the decease of James Beaton, archbishop
of Glasgow, who had lived in France since the Reformation ; and he im«
mediately nominated SpoUwood to the vacant see. The new archbishop was at
the same time directed to return to Scotland, in order to accompany the queen
on her journey to London, and to act as her eleemosynar or almoner ; an of-
Hoe, his biographer remariu, ** whidi could not confidently be credited but to
dean hands and an uncorrupt heart, such as his really was.**

Holding as he did the second episcopal dignity in the kingdom, Spotswood
naturally lent himaelf with great willingness to aid the policy of the king for
the gradual reconstruction of that system in the kingdom. The measures
adopted were cautious and prudent, but nevertheleu highly unpopular ; and
for several years the archbishop of Glasgow was obliged to appear obedient to
the ordinary church courts. At length, in 1610, the power of the bishops ex
jure potilwmui was restored ; and the subject of this memoir, with the bishops
of Brechin and Galloway, repaired to London, to receive the solemnities
of consecration, whidi were conferred upon them by the bishops of London,
Bath, and Ely. About the same time, SpoUwood became the head of one of the
two oourU of High Commission erected by James in Scotland for the trial of
oitences against the church. He had previously, in 1609, been appointed an
extraordinary lord of session, in accordance with the policy adopted by the
king for giving influeuce and dignity to liis ecdesiastical office, though it after-

1 Abridged fh)m a memoir of Mr John Spotswood, in Wodrow's BiographicBl CoUcc
tions, printed by the MaitUind Club.

310 JOHN SFOTSWOOD.

vajnU WM m»mimi thai iba hoMing of lay ofiaet by Urn biahopi injund ibe
intereaU of their church.

1a tha momth of Oolaber, 1614, SpoUwood apprehendad Joho Ogikie, a
jaauit, ai Glaagow, wbara ba bwi aavaral UMt aatd nast, aad ooavwlW aaioral
young people of Ibe better daai. He iias braught to trial about tbe end of
i<'ebniary, and deoyiog tbe king and bU council to be coaipeteot judgea on aome
points of bia religtoua belief, be waa oondemaed and executed. On tbe doatii
of arcbbiahop GladaUnea in 1615, SpoUnood was ramored fireoi Glaagow to be
pciaate and metropolitan oT all Scotland, and Uie same year tbe two oourta of
bigb coauniation for Scotland, ivere, under hiai, united into one. In the year

1616, be pioeidad in an aawmUy ai Aberdeen, in yuftue of hia prioKy, witbont
any election. Tbera waa much aeeniing seal in tbia avenbly againai popery,
and tbe arabbaabop of Glasgow, and Mr WiUian Stratben, minialer at luiin-
buvgb, were appointed to foria a book of eodeaiastical canons for the purpoae
of eatabUsbing uaiAmnity of discipline tbrougboutall tbe kirla of tbe Idagdom.
A commiasioa was also appointed to draw up a new liturgy, a new catecbiaM,
and a new Coarfession of Faith. His majesty visited his natiYO kii^e« in the
■uooeeding year. On thia occasion, twelre apoatles, aad four OTangelisIs, cwri-
oualy witii^ in wood, were prepared to be set up in bis royal cfa^Ml, but
weio not nado mt of. The English senrice, however, woa introduced, with iu
appurtenances of oigana, dioriaters, and surplices. The sacrament waa also ad-
ministered upon Wbitaunday, after the English fashion. Tbe consequence
nas only more violent (^position to these innovadona. Notbing, however,
could deter Jamea from presaing bia own peculiar views of oodesiaatical
polity. At another Assembly held ai St Andrews in the month of October,

1617, bis five iavoorile artkies were again brougbt f<Nrwavd, bat coold
not be earned, even with all the leal of tbe bishops to bade bis writtev
requests. ENaappoiated by tbia losult, the king ordered Spotswood to oonvo-
caie tbe bishops, and tbe ministen that were in Edinburgh for tbe time,
and to procure thour approfal of them, and, if they refused, to suspend them
from their ministry. Tkia also failed, and the articles were enjoined by a royal
prodamation, to wbkh but little deference wna paid. Another AssemUy waa
again suddenly and unexpectedly indksted, by royal prodamaUon, to be
held at Per^, Aaguat 95, 1618, where, by the aid of a long letter from Ms
majesty, and the assistance of Dr Peter Young, who was now dean of Windies-
ter, Spotowood at length carried the ^re artralea; kneeling at the sacnment;
primte oemmonion ; private baptism ; confirmation of children ; aad ofaaenra-
tion of festivals. All the archbishop^ authority, bowever, could not command
obedience to them, though he continued to enforce liiem before the high oom-
mimion court for a nnmber of years. Among theae of the clergy whom be de-
prived ni their livings for non-«ompliance, were Mr Richard Didcson, Mr An.
drew Doncaa, Mr John Serimger, Mr Alexander Simpson, Mr John Murray,
Mr George Dunbar, Mr David Dickson, and Mr Geoigo Johnolon. For all
this severity he had certainly king James^ warrant, and had he been even
more severe, would probably have raised himself still higher in his majesty^
fovour. At the coronation of Charles L, which took plaoe in Edinbufgh on the
16tb of June, 1633, Spotswood placed the crown upoh his head, assisted by
the bishops of Ross, Murray, Dunkeld, Dumblane, and Brechin, arrayed in
robes of bhie silk, ridily embroidered, reaching down to their foet, over which
Ihey had white rockeu with lawn sleeves, and loops of gold. The archbishop
of Glasgow and other bishops, having refused to appear in tliis costume,
were not allowed to take any aotlte part in the ceremony. Land, wbo accom-
panied the monarch, and was master of the ceremonies on the occasion, had in-

8IA ROBEET SPOTSWOOD.

311

troduoed an akar into the churchy on which aiood two blind books, two wax
candles lighted, and an empty baaon» *' Behind the altar there waa ano rich
tapestry wherein the crucifix was curiously wrought^ and, as thir bishops who
were on serrioe past by this crucifix, they were seen to bow their knee and
beck^ which with their habit was noted, and bred great fear of inbringing of
popery." Charles by these* means rendered his visit disa gr eea bl e to the pe^^,
and he left them in a more dissatisfied state than even that in which he found
them. A copy of a protestation, or statement of grienuioei^ which had been
drawn up to be presented to the parliament heM by the king in 1633, but
which curcumstanoes had prerented its framers from presenting, baring been
shown in confidence by lord Balmerlno, was aorreptitiously oanried to ^ots-
woody who hastened with it to court, where it was represented as a crime oif no
common kind* Balmerino was immediately brought to trial onder the statuu
of leasing making^ and, chiefly through the influence of the primate^ who was
himself an extraordinary lord of semioa, of which hia second son, Bobert,
was president, condemned to die. This measure gave so much ofiS»noe that it
was found necessary to pardon Balmerino, a concession which did not at all
satisfy the people, or remove their ayersion to the prelates, upon whom the
whole odium of Uiese despotic proceedings waa laid. That aienioB was stiU
heightened by the seal displayed by the primate in enlarging the levenues of
his see, which had, both in Glasgow and St Andrews, been a principal object
with him, and in prosecuting which, his biographer affirma he made not fewer
than fifty journeys between Scotland and the court of London. He had also
about this time, on the death of lord Kinnoul, obtained the first ofiloe of the
state, that of chancellor. He was labouring to rerive the order of mitred ab*
boil to be substituted in pariiameat in place of the lords of erection, whose im-
propriated lirings and tithes he intended should go to their endowments. A
book of canons, and a liturgy imposed upon the church by the sole authority of
the king and the bishops in 1637, filled up the measure of court imprudenoe»
Spotswood, whose gentle character probably revolted at the strong measures
adopted by the king, excUimed, on hearing of the intention to meet these in-
novations with a renewal of the covenant, that the labours of an age had been
imdone in a day. Scotland, in consequenee of their own intolerant eonduot»
was now no agreeable place for bishops and the npboldera of a semi-popish
episcopacy; and Spotswood retired, with a depressed mind and a diseased fhune
to Newcastle, where he was confined for some tune by sickness. On recovering
a little, he proceeded to London, where he died, November S6, 1639, in the
seventy-fourth year of his age, just in time to escape witnessing the total of«r-
throw of his favourite cliurnh polity in Scotland. By his wife, Bachel Lindsay,
daughter of the bishop of Ross, he had a numerous family, though only thiee
of them survived him, two sons and a daughter. Spotswood was unquestionably
a man of excellent abilities, but, though a clergyman, he waa also a man of
the world, and probably somewhat more ambitious than became his sacred
profession. He was, however, neither sanguinary nor cruel, but, on the con*
trary, seems to have been desirous of accomplishing all his purposes by the gen-
tlest means. As a historian he is entitled to very high praise. He certainly
leans to the side of his own party, but his statements, like his general duuacter,
are, for tlie most part, marked by moderation. In richness and variety
of materials, his history, perhaps, is not equal to several contemporary, or per-
haps earlier productions of the same class, but in point of style and arrange-
ment it is inferior to none.

SPOTSWOOD, (Sir) Robkrt, president of the court of session, was the second
son of archbishop Spotswood, and was bom in the year 1696. He was edu>

313

SIR ROBEET SPOTSWOOD.

caled at tlie grammar school of Glasgow, and, at the age of thirteen, waa tent
to the unirenity of (hat city, where, four yeara afterwards, he obtained the de-
gree of master of arts. From Glasgow he n-as reroored to Exeter college, Ox-
ford, and studied under the celebrated Dr Prideaux. Honourable mention ii
made of Sir Robert in the ** Athenas Oxonienses.** On the completion of his
studies, ho made the tour of France, Italy, and Germany, studying the km of
those countries, as well as the ciril and canon law, and also theology, in nhidi
last he was deeply rersed. When king James commanded archbishop Spots-
wood to write the history of his natire kingdom, he procured, through Sir
Robertas exertions, the ancient MSS. and records of the church, but especially
the famous ** Black Book of Paisley,^ which he recorered at Rome. Sir Ro-
bert was also able to redeem a number of other manuscripts, which had been
carried abroad from Scottish monasteries at the Reformation ; but unfortunately
they were destroyed by the corenantors. On his return from the continent,
after an absence of nine years. Sir Robert was most graciously received at the
court of England by king James, to whom he gare such a good account of the
laws, customs, and manners of the countries where he had been trarelling,
that the king appointed him one of the extraordinary judges of the court of
session. On his receiving this appointment, the archbishop purchased and be-
stowed on him the barony of New-Abbey, in Galloway, and he assumed the
title of Lord New-Abbey. He continued to be an extraordinary lord during
James's reign ; but, on the accession of Charles L, who deprived the judges of
their commissions, and re-appointed some of them. Sir Robert was nominated an
ordinary lord of session, or judge, on the 1 4th of February, 1636. On tlie
death of Sir James Skene, in November, 1633, he was chosen president of the
College of Justice. He disposed of the lands of New-Abbey to king Charles,
who bestowed it on the newly erected bishopric of Edinburgh, and assumed the
title of Lord Dunipace, from an estate he had purchased in Stirlingshire.

As the father now occupied the highest office in the state, and the primacy in
the church, while the son filled the first judicial station in the country, no
greatness under that of monarchy itself, could have appeared more enviable
than that which was enjoyed by the family of Spotswood. It was greatness,
however, dependent on mere court favour, and altogether wanting the only
firm basis for oiHcial elevation, the concurrence and good-\nU of the nation.
On the contrary, the Spotswoods had risen in consequence of their address in
rendering up the liberties of their country into the hands of the king ; and,
however endeared to him, were detested by the great mass of their fellow
citizens. Hence, when the Scots came to the point of resistance in 1637, and
assumed the entire control of their own concerns, the Spotswoods vanished
from before the face of their indignant countrymen, leaving no trace of their
greatness behind, except in the important offices which they had left vacant.

Sir Robert Spotswood now became a close adherent of the king^s person ;
and, with other obnoxious individuals in the same situation, proved the means
ef preventing that confidence in the sincerity of the monarcirs concessions,
which operated so much to his disadvantage. AYhen Charles was in Scotland,
in 1641, the estates presented him with an address, in which they beseeched
that the late president of the court of session might be moved from his ^lerson
and councils ; and with this request the king was obliged to comply. At a
Inte period in the civil war, (1645.) Charles recalled Sir Robert, and appointed
him secretary of state for Scotland, in place of tlie earl of Lanark. In this
cliaracter, Sir Robert signed the commission of the marquis of Montrose as com-
mander-in-chief of the forces in Scotland; and, being appointed to convey this
to the victorious general, he took shipping in the island of Anglesey, and,

SIB JAMES STBUABT, BART.

313

buiding in Loohaber, joined the marquis in Athole. He marched soathward
with the army, maintaiuing, however^ a strictly civU character, and was taken
prisoner at Philiphaugh, where, it is said, he had only his walking cane in Wa
hand. He was carried, along with some other prisoners of distinction, to 8t
Andrews, and tried before the Parliament, on a charge of high treason. His
defence was allowed to hare been masterly, bat a conviction was inevitable.
He was condemned to be beheaded by the maiden, which was brought from
Dundee for the purpose. ** In his railing discourse to the people on the scaffold
(says Row in his life of Robert Blair), among other things he said that the sad-
dest judgment of God upon people at this time was, that the Lord had sent out
a lying spirit in the mouths of the prophets, and that their ministers, that should
lead them to heaven, were leading them the highway to hell. Mr Blair stand-
ing by him, as he was appointed by the commission of the Kirk, in answer to thi%
only said, ' It's no wonder to hear the son of a fhlse prophet speak so of tho
faithful and honest servants of Jesus Christ;' which did so enrage the proud
and impenitent spirit of Spotswood, that ho died raging and railing against
Christ's honest and faithful ministers, and his covenanted people.'* It was in
declining the offer of Blair to pray for his soul that Sir Robert used the lan-
guage which provoked the covenanter's stem rebuke, pointed with a sarcasm
/ which might certainly have been spared on such an occasion. But the reproach
and the retaliation illustrate the spirit of the times. Spotswood's biographer
says his last words were — ''Merciful Jesu, gather my soul unto thy saints and
martyrs, who have run before me in this race." This writer accuses 'Hhe
fanatical minister of the place " of having incited the provost to prevent Sir
Robert from addressing the people on the scaffold. A similar story is repeated
in the Spottiswoode Miscellany, where, however, it is stated that Sir Robert
" inveighed muck against the Parliament of England," which Is not consistent
with the assertion that he was prevented from speaking to tke spectators.
The execution took place at the cross of St Andrews, January 17, 1646. Other
two prisoners suffered along with Spotswood, namely, Nathaniel Gordon, who
recanted his episcopacy, and died as a member of the ^rk, and Andrew Guthrie,
*' who died stupidly and impenitently." Of Spotswood and Guthrie, Row ob-
serves characteristically, ** These two were bishops' sons ; malt eorvi malum
ovum.**

Sir Robert Spotswood was well skilled in the Hebrew, Chaldaic, Syriac, and
Arabic languages, besides his acquaintance with most of the modern European
tongues. He was a profound lawyer, and an upright judge. Piety was a con-
spicuous feature in his character; though, according to the spirit of his age, it
was debased by the exclusive and bigoted feelings of a partisan. He was the
author of " Tho Practicks of the Law of Scotland ; ** a work which was only
superseded by the more elaborate work of Stair.

His remains were honourably interred in the parish church of St Andrews,
by Sir Robert Murray of Melgun, and other friends, among whom was Hugh
Scrimgeour, a wealthy citiaen of St Andrews, who bad formerly been one of
archbishop Spotswood's servants, and who took the execution of his old master's
son so much to heart, that seeing the bloody scaffold still standing some days
afterwards, he fainted on tho spot; and, being carried home, died on tho
threshold of his own door.

STEUART (Sib) James, of Coltness, Baronet, the Ikther of political economy
in Britain, was born on the 10th of October, 1713. He was the son of Sir
James Steuart, bart., solicitor- general for' Scotland, under queen Anne, and
George I^ by Anne, daughter of Sir Hugh Dairy mple, president of the court
cf session. The .father of the solicitor-general was Sir James Steuart, lord ad*

3U

SIR JAMES STEUART, BART.

vocate under William III., whose father was Sir James Steuart, provost of
Edinburgh from 1648 to 1660, a descendant of the Bonhill branch of the
fiunily of Stewart

Tlie subject of this article spent his earliest years at Goodtrees, now Moredim,
a seat of his fatlier, near Edinbui^h. At the school of North Benvick, he re-
ceired the elementary part of his education, and it was afterwards completed at
the unirersity of Edinburgh, whither he went at the age of fourteen.^ At that
institution, after going through a complete course of languages and sciences, ha
studied the ciril Jaw, with the occasional assistance of Mr Hercules Lindsay, an
eminent civilian, and subsequently professor of that department in the unirerw
sity of Glasgow. From his earliest years, his abilities appeared rather of a
solid and permanent, than of a dazzling nature^ At the early age just men-
tioned, he succeeded his father in the baronetcy and estates connected with it,
which were of moderate extent and value.

On the completion of his legal studies at the university of Edinburgh, Sir
James went to the bar, (1734,) but without any intention of prosecuting the
law as a profession. He soon after set out upon a tour of the continent, where
he formed an acquaintance with the duke of Ormond, the earl Marisdud, and
other exiled Jacobite chiefs. The family from which he descended had been
conspicuous fur its attadiment to the popular cause, for a century ; but Sir
James appears to have been converted by these nobles from his original Whig
principles. Having permitted himself to be introduced by them to prince
Charles Stuart at Rome, he received such civilities from that scion of expa-
triated royalty, as had a material effect upon the tenor of hit future life. He
returned to hia native country in 1740, with many accomplishments, which
added brilliancy to his character, but an unsettled tone of mind, which he af-
terwards greatly regretted.

Among the intimate friends of Sur James at this period of his life, was Mr
Alexander Trotter, the father of one of the present land-proprietors of Mid-
Lothian. Mr TroUer was out off in early life ; and, during his last iRness, made
a promise to Sir James, that, if possible, he would come to him after his death, in
an enclosure near tbe house of Coltness, which in summer had been frequently
their place of study. It was agreed, in order to prevent mistake or misappre-
hension, that the hour of meeting should be noon ; tliat Mr Trotter should ap-
pear in the dress he usually wore, and that every other circumstance should be
exactly conformable to what had commonly happened when they met together.
Sir James laid greater stress on this engagement than sound reason will war-
rant. Both before and after his exile, he never fiiiled, when it was in his
power, to attend at the place of appointment, even when the debility arising
from gout rendered him hardly able to walk. Every day at noon, while re-
siding at Coltness, he went to challenge the promise of Mr Trotter, and aU
way's returned extremely disappointed that his expectation of his ftiend^s ap-
pearance had not been gratified. When xallied on the subject, he always ob-
served seriously, that we do not know enough of " the other world " to entitle
ua to assume that such an event as the reappearance of Mr Trotter ^vas impos-
sible. We fear, however, that the most of those who peruse this narrative will
be inclined to class this anecdote with the *' follies of the wise."

In the course of his travels, Sir James had formed an intimacy with lord
Elcho, who, conceiving, in the warmth of youthful friendship, that the young
baronet would be able to gain the alTections of his sister, lady Frances Wemyss,
carried him to Cedar Hall, in the north of Scotland, where that young lady
was residing with the countess of Sutherland. As Elcho expected, Sir James
gained the heart of lady Frances ; and, after some scruples on the part of her

SIR JAMES STfiUABT. BART.

315

rolatioDB had been overcome, tbey were married in October, 1743, at Danrobln
coBtle, the lady bringing her husband what was then considered a yery hand-
some fortune, namely, six thousand pounds. A pair more elegant, more amiable*
and more accomplished, is rarely seen. Their union was blessed in August, 1744^
by the birth of their son, the late Sir James Stenort, who was for many years
the principal object of their care.

The subject of our memoir had joined the opposition party, and in the year
lost named he had an unpleasant collision with the family of Dundas^ which was
then beginning to take a leading part in Scottish politics. A claim prefer^d
by him to be enrolled amongst the freeholders of Mid-Lothian, was refused ;
and for this he raised an action against Dundas of Amiston, then one of the
senators of the college of justice. In the course of the judicial proceedings, Sir
James pled his own cause in so masterly a manner, that lord Amiston descended
from the bench, and defended himself at the bar. The cause was given
against the young advocate ; and this, no doubt, conspired, with other circum*
stances, to prepare him for the step he took in the subsequent year.

Sir James was residing in Edinburgh, in attendance upon lady Frances, who
was then in a state of ill health, wh^ prince Charles, at the head of his High-
land army, took possession of the city. Among the principal adherents of the
young adventurer, was lord Elcho, the brother-in-law and bosom friend of
Sir James Steuart. The latter, with the earl of Budian, who had mairied one
of his sisters, formed the wish of being introduced to prince Charles, but with-
out pledging themselves to join his standard. They, therefore, induced lord
Elcho to seize them at the cross of Edinburgh, and conduct them, apparently as
prisoners, into the presence of tho prince. Being brought into an anto«
chamber in Holyroodhouse, their friend proceeded to inform his royal highness
of their arrival, and of the circumstances under which they approached himj
when Charles, with great dignity, refused to see them in any other character
than as avowed adherents of his cause. When Elcho returned with this in-
telligence, the earl of Buchan took his leave; while Sur James, a man greatly
excelling that nobleman in intellect, proceeded to offer his services to the
young chevalier. He was fortunately saved from the ultimate perils of the
campaign, by being immediately despatched on a mission to the French court,
where he was at the time of the battle of Culloden. The penalty of his rash-
ness, was an exile of nearly twenty yearsi being, though not attainted, among
the exceptions from the act of indemnity.

Till the year 1763, when George IlL permitted him to return home. Sir
James Steuart resided abroad with his family, employing his leisure in those
studies which he aAerwards embodied in his works. He spent the greater part
of the period of his exile in the town of Angouleme, where he became inti-
mately acquainted with the French finance system, through a body of counsel-
lors of the parliament of Paris, who were banished to that town for nearly the
space of two years. Sir James also spent some time at Frankfort, at Spa, at
Venice, and at Fadua. When in Germany, he and his lady were received
with extraordinary marks of favour at the courts of Wirtemi>erg, Baden-Dour-
lach, and Hohenzollerm At Venice, in 1768, he and lady Frances had the
good fortune to form a friendship with tlie celebrated lady Mary Wortley
Montagu, who, till the end of her life, corresponded frequently with both,
and gave them and their son many proofs of her affection : a series of her
ladyship's letters to Sir James and lady Frances were printed at Greenock,
under the caro of the late Sir James^ in 1818* Though exiled from Britaint
on account of disloyalty to the Hanover dynasty. Sir James Steuart never en-
tertained a disloyal feeling towards his country. On the contrary, the en-

316

DUOALD 8TSWA&T.

thusiaim with which he rejoiced in ^ lucoetaes of the British arms during the
seren yeavt* war, led to hit &Uing under the luipicion of the French court ;
andy while residing at Spa, in a neutral teiritory, a large hody of troops was
sent to apprehend him, and oonTey him to prison in the duchy of Luxemburg.
It was not for many months that he succeeded in conrincing the French
govemoient of its error, or regained his Uberty.

The first work published by Sir James, was a rolume, which appeared at
Frankfort sur le Main, in 1758, under the title of " Apologie du Sentiment de
Monsieur le Chevalier Newton, sur Tancienne Chronologie des Grecs, con-
tenant des reponses a toutes les objections qui y ont et6 faites jusqu' a pr^nt."
In the same year, while settled at Tubingen, in Germany, he produced his
"Treatise ou German Coins,'' in the German language. It was followed, in
1761, by " A Dissertation on the Doctrine and Principles of Money, as applied
to the German Coin ;'' and in the same year, he so &r made his peace with the
British goremment, as to obtain a cornetcy in the Roya), or 1st regiment of
dragoons. At the peace of Paris, in 1763, he was tacitly permitted to return
home, and resume possession of his estates. It was in retirement at Coltness,
that he probably put the last hand to his ^# Inquiry into the Principles of Poli-
tical Economy,** which was published in 1767, in two volumes, quarto. Messrs
Miller and Cadell gave Bwe hundred pounds for the copyright of this work, the
merits of which were at the time a subject of considerable dispute. It has at
least the merit of having been the first considerable work on this subject pub-
lished in Britain, being about nine years antecedent to the work of Dr Smith,
In 1769, Sir James published, under the assumed name of Robert Frame,
" Considerations on the Interests of the County of Lanarlc'* By the interest
of liis friends, he now obtained a full pardon, which passed the great seal in
1771 ; and in the year following, he printed *' The Principles of Money ap-
plied to the present state of the Coin of Bengal." He also wrote, ** A Plan
for introducing an uniformity of Weights and Measures,*' which was published
after his death. He likewise pnblbhed, ^ Observationfl oo Beattie'a Essay
on Truth ;" '< Critical Remarks on the Atheistical Falsehoods of Mirabaud's
System of Nature ;** and '< A Dissertation concerning the Motive of Obedience
to the Law of God." It is supposed that the ardour and assiduity with which
he pursued his studies, proved detrimental to his health. An inflammation,
commencing with a toe-nail too nearly cut, put an end to his valuable life, on
the S6th of November, 1780. His remains were interred in the &mi]y vault
at Cambusnetlian church, and a monument has been erected to his memory in
Westminster abbey.

Sir James Steuart was a man of extensive and varied powers of mind ;
cheerful and animated in conversation ; amiable in all tlie domestic relations of
life ; and, unlike several other eminent men of that age, was able to prosecute
philosophical inquiries, without abandoning the faith of a Christian. His
works were published, with a memoir, by his son, in 1606, occupying aix
volumes.

STEWART, DuoALD, a celebrated metaphysical writer, was the only son who
sunrived the age of infancy, of Dr Matthew Stewart, professor of mathematics
in the university of Edinburgh, and of Marjory Stewart, daughter of Archibald
Stewart, Esq., writer to the signet His father, of whom a biographical memoir
foWow the present, is well known to the scientific world as a geometrician of
eminence and originality. His mother was a woman remarkable for her good
sense, and for great sweetness and kindliness of disposition, and was always ie>
membered by her son with the warmest sentiments of filial affection.^

1 For the greater part of the present article we are indebted to the Annua) Obituao'; Ihe

DU6ALD STEWART.

317

The objeot of thii brief notice wai bom in the college of Edinbofgh, ou
the sand of Norember, 1753, and his healthy during the first period of hif
life, mu to feeble and precarious, that it waa with more than the ordinary anxiety
and solicitude of parents that his infancy was reared. His early years were
spent partly in the house at that time attached to the mathematical chair of the
unirenity, and partly at Catrine, his fiilher^s property in Ayrshire, to which
the family regularly remored erery summer, when the academical session was
concluded. At the age of seren, he was sent to the High School, where he
distinguished himself by the quickness and accuracy of his apprehension, and
where the singular felicity and spirit with which he caught and transfused into
his own language the ideas of the classical writers, attracted the particular remaric
of his instructors.

Having completed the customary coarse of education at (his seminary, he
was entered as a student at the college of Edinburgh. Under the immediate
instruction of such a mathematician and teacher aa his father, it may readily be
supposed that he made early proficiency in the exact sciences ; but the distin-
guishing bent of his philosophical genius recommended him in a still more par-
ticular manner to the notice of Dr Stevenson, then professor of logic, and of
Dr Adam Ferguson, who filled the moral philosophy chair.

In order to prosecute his favourite studies under the meet favourable circum-
stances, he proceeded, at the commencement of the session of 4771, to the uni-
versity of Glasgow, to attend the lectures of Dr Reid, who was then in
the senith of his reputation. The pn^^ress which he here made in his meta-
physical studies, was proportioned to the ardour with which he devoted himself
to the subject ; and, not content with listening merely to the instructions of his
master, or with the speculations of his leisure hours, he composed during Hie
session that admirable Essay on Dreaming, which he afterwards published in the
first volume of the ** Philosophy of the Human Mind."

The declining state of his fatherVhealth compelled him, in the autumn of
the following year, before he had reached the age of nineteen, to undertake
the task of teaching the mathematical classes In the Edinburgh university.
With what success he was able to fulfill this duty, was sufilciently e? inced by the
event ; for, with all Dr Matthew Stewarli's well«merited celebrity, the number of
students considerably increased under his son. As soon as he had completed
his twenty-first year, he was appointed assistant and successor to his father, and
in this capacity he continued to conduct the mathematical studies in the uni-
versity till his father's death, in the year 1785, when he wu nominated to the
vacant clialr.

Although this continued, however, to be hia oetensible situation in the
university, hia avocations were more varied. In the year 1778, during which
Dr Adam Ferguson accompanied the commlmioners to America, be undertook to
supply his place in the moral philosophy dass ; a labour that was the more
overwhelming, aa he had for the first time given notice, a short time before
his aMistance was requested, of his intention to add a course of lectures on
astronomy to the two classes which he taught aa professor of mathematics.
Such was the extraordinary fertility of hia mind, and the facility with which it
adapted its powers to such inquiries, that, although the proposal was made to
him and accepted on Thursday, he commenced the course of metaphysics the
following Monday, and continued, during the whole of the season, to think out
and aivange in his head in the morning, (while walking backwards and for-
wards in a small garden attached to his father's house in the college,) the matter

fouroe to which, on application to Mr Stewart's representatives, we were referred for authen-
tic Information respecting their dletinguiehed relative.

318

DUOAID STEWAKT.

of thft UctiiM of Uie day. The ideas with which he had thin itored his mind,
he poured forth ezteatpoie in the coiine of die forenoon, with an eloquenee
and a felicity of illintntion surpassing in energy and vimcity (as those who hare
beard him hafe remarlced) the more logical and better digested expositions of
his philosophical Tiews^ which he used to deliTor in his maturer years. The
difficulty of speaking for an hour extempore every day on a new subject for Ewe
or six months, is not small ; but, when superadded to the mental exertion of
teaching also daily, two dasMs of mathematics, and of delivering, for the first
time, a ooune of lectmres on astronomy, it may justly be considered as a very
singular instance of intellectual vigour. To Uiis season he always referred as
the most laborious of his life ; and such was the exhaustion of the body, from
the intense and continued stretdi of the mind, that, on his departure for Lon-
don, at the dose of the acadeaucal lemiony it was necesmry to lift him into the
carriage*

In the year 1780, he began to receive some young noblemen and gentlemen
into his house as pupils, under his immediate superintendenoe, among whom were
to be numbered the lale lord Belhaven, the late mar^is of Lothian, Basil lord
Daer," the Ute lord Powencourt, Mr Muir Maekensie of Ddvin, and the hte
Mr Henry Glastford. In the ummer of 1783, he visited the continent for the
firtt time, having accompanied the late marquis of Lothian to Paris ; on his re-
turn firom whence, in the autumn of the same year, he married Helen Banna-
tyne, daughter of Neil Bannatyne, Esq., a merchant in Glasgow.

In the year i78i(, during which Dr Matthew Stewart^s death occurred, the
health of Dr Ferguson rendered it expedient for him to diicontinoe his official
labours in the university, and he anoocdlngly oflTected an exdiange of offices
with Mr Stewart, who was transferred to the class of moral philosophy, while
Dr Ferguson retired on the salary of mathematical profemor. In the year
1787, Mr Stewart ivas deprived of his wife by death ; and. the following sum-
mer, he again visited the continent, in company with the late Mr Ramsay of
Bamton*

These sliglit indications of the progress of the oidtnary occurrences of
human life, must suffice to convey to the reader an idea of the connexion of
events, up to the period when Mr Stewart entered on that q^ere of action in
whidi he laid the foundation of the great reputation whidi he acquired as a
moralist and a metaphysidan. His writings an before the world, and from
tliem posterity may be saialy left to form an estimate of the excellence of his
style oi composition — of the extent and variety of his learning and sdentllic at-
tainments—of the singular cultivation and refinement of his mind— of the
purity and elegance of his taste — of his warm relish Ibr moral and for natural
beauty— of his enlightened beneyolence to all mankind, and of the generous
ardour with which he deroted himself to the improvement of the human
spedes — of all of which, while the English language endures, his works will
continue to preserve the indelible evidence* But of one part of his fame no
memorial will remain but in the recollection of those who have witnesKd his
exertions. As a public speaker, he was justly entitled to rank among the very
first of his day; and, had an adequate sphere been afforded for the display c^
his oratorical powers, his merit in this line alone would have sufilced to secure
him a lasting reputation. Among those who attracted the highest admiration

> Buras*8 fint Intervlow with Mr Stewart, in the presence of litis nmfaiUe young no-
bleman, at Catiine, wilJ be in every reader s remembranoa, as weU as the philosopher's
attentions to the poet during his subsequent residence in Edinburgh. The house oc-
cupied by Mr Stewart at Catnoe still exists, a small narrow old fiwhioned building, dettudied
iVom the village.

DUGALD STEWART.

319

in the senate and ai the bar, there were not a few who ooald bear teatimony
to his extraordinary eloquence. The ease, the grace, and the digi^ty of his
action; the compass and harmoaj of his Toioe» its flexibility and Tariety of
intonation ; the truth with which its modulation responded to the impulse of
his feeliDgSy and the sympathetio emotions of his audience; the clear and per-
spicuous arrangement of his matter; the swelling and uninterrupted flow of
his periods, and the rich stores of ornament which he used to borrow Arom
the literature of Greece and of Rome, of France and of England, and to inter*
weave with his spoken thoughts with the most apposite application, were per-
fections not possessed in a superior degree by any of the most celebrated orators
of the age« His own opinions were maintained without any overweening
partiality ; bis eloquence came so warm from the heart, was rendered 00 im-
pressire by the evidence which it bore of the love of troth, and was so free
from all controvenial acrimony, that what has been remarked of the purity
of purpose which Inspired the speeches of Brutus, might justly be applied to
all that he spoke and wrote; for he seemed only to wish, without further
reference to others than a candid discrimination of their errors rendered necessary,
simply and ingenuously to disclose to the world the oonclusionB to which his
reason had led him : '«Non malignitate aut invidia, sed simplidter et ingenue,
judicium animi sui detexisse.**

In 1790, after being three yean a widower, he mairied Helen D*Arcy
Cranitoun, a daughter of the honourable Mr George Cranstoun, a union to
which he owed much of the subsequent happiness of his life. About this time
it would appear to hare been that he first began to arrange some of his
raetaphysicU papers with a view to publication. At what period he deliberate-
ly set himself to think systematically on these subjects is uncertain. That his
mind had been habituated to such reflections from a very early period is suf-
ficiently known. He frequently alluded to the speculations that occupied his
boyish, and eren his infant thoughts, and the suooeis of his logical and metaphy-
sloil studies at Edinburgh, and the Essay on Dreaming, whidi forms the fifth
section of the first part of the fifth chapter of the first volume of the
Philosophy of the Human Mind, composed while a student at the college of
Glasgow in 1773, at the age of eighteen, are proofs of the strong natmral bias
whii^ he posieswd for such pursuits. It is probable, however, that he did not
follow out the inquiry as a train of thought, or commit many of his ideas to
writing before his appointment in 1785, to the professorship of moral philoso*
phy, gave a necessary and steady direction to his inrestigation of metaphysical
truth. In the year 1792, he first appeared before the public as an author, at
which time the first volume of the Philosophy of the Human Mind was given
to the world. While engaged in this work he had contracted the obligation of
writing the life of Adam Smith, the author of the Wealth of Nations, and rery
soon after he had disembarrassed himself of his own labours, he fulfilled the
task which ho had undertaken ; the biographical memoir of this eminent man
liaring been read at two sereral meetings of the Royal Sodety of Edinburgh,
in the months of January and March, 1793. Jn the course of this year also, he
publislied the Outlines of Moral Philosophy ; a work which he used as a text
book, and which contained brief notices, for the use of his students, of the sub-
jects which formed the matter of his academical prelections. In March, 1796,
he read before the Royal Society his account of the Life and Writings of Dr
Robertson, and in 1603, that of the Life and Writings of Dr Reid.

By these publications alone, which were subsequently combined in
one volume, quarto, he continued to be known as an author till the appear-
hnce of his volume of Philosophical Essays in 1810; a work to which a

320

miOAID 8TEWABT.

L

melandioly intereit aOachM, in ihm ertimatiaii of hii frkudty from the know
ledgv that it was in the devotion of hie mind to thb occupation that he fought
a divertion to his thoughts, from the affliction he experienced in the death of
his second and youngest son. Although, however, the fruits of his studies were
not given to the world, the process of intellectual exertion was unremitted.
The leading brandies of metaphysics had become so familiar to hia mind, that
the lectures which he delivered, very generally extempore, and which varied
more or less in the language and matter every year, seemed to cost him
little efibrt, and he was thus left in a great degree at liberty to apply
the larger part of his day to the prosecution of his further speculations.
Although he had read more than most of those who are considered learned, hia
life, as he has himself somewhere remarked, was spent mudi more in reflecting
than in reading ; and so unceasing was the activity of his mind, and so strong
his disposition to trace all subjects of speculation, that were worthy to attract hia
interest, up to their first principles, that all important objects and occurrencea
furnished fresh matter to his thoughts The public events of the time sug-
gested many of his inquiries into the principles of political economy ; his re-
flections on his occasional tours through the country, many of his speculationa
on the picturesque, the beautiful, and the sublime; and the study of the
characters of his friends and acquaintances, and of renoarkable indiriduals with
whom he happened to be thrown into contact, many of his most profound ob->
serrations on the sources of the varieties and anomalies of huaaan nature.

In the period which intervened between the publication of his first volume of
the Philosophy of the Human Mind, and the appearance of his Philosophical
Eisays, he produced and prepared the matter of all his other writings, with the
exception of his Dissertation on the Progren of Metaphysical and Ethical Phi-
losophy, prefixed to the Supplement of the Encydopsftdia Britannica. Inde-
pendent of the prosecution of those metaphysical inquiries whidi constitute the
substance of his second and third volumes of the Philosophy of the Human
Mind, to this epoch of his life are to be referred tlie specuUUons in which he
engaged with respect to thesdenoe of political economy, the prindples of which
he first embodied in a course of lectures, which, in the year 1800, he added as
a second course to the lectures which formed the immediate subject of the in-
struction preriously delivered in the university from the moral philosophy chair*
So genend and extensive was his acquaintance with almost every department of
literature, and so readily did he arrange his ideas on any subject, with a riew
to their communication to others, that his colleagues frequently, in the event
of illness or absence, availed themselves of his assistance in the instruction of
their classes. In addition to his own academical duties, he repeatedly supplied
the place of Dr John Robisen, professor of natural philosophy. He taught for
several months during one winter the Greek dasses for the late Mr Dakell :
he more than one season taught the mathematical classes for Mr Playlair : he
delivered some lectures on logic during an illness of Dr Finlayson ; and, if we
mistake not, he one winter lectured for some time on belles lettres for the suc-
cessor of Dr Blair.

la 1796, he was induced once more to open his house for the reception of
pupils ; and in this oapacity, the late lord Ashburton, the son of the celebrated
Mr Dunning, the earl of Warwick, the earl of Dudley, the present lord Pahnerston*
and his brother the honourable Mr Temple, were placed under his care. The
present marquis of Lansdowne, though not an inmate in his family, was resident
at this time in Edinburgh, and a frequent guest at his house, and for him he
coi^aoted the highest esteem; and he lived to see him, along with two of
his own pupils^ cabinet minister! at the same time. Justly conceiving that tha

DUGALD STBWAKT.

321

fonnation of mannen^ and of taste in convenation, constituted a no less in»-
portant part in the education of men destined to mix so largely in the world,
than their grayer pursuits^ he rendered his house at this time the resort of all
frho were most distinguished for genius, acquirement, or elegance in Edinburgh,
and of all the foreigners who were led to visit the capital of Scotland. So hap-
pily did he succeed in assorting his guests, so well did he combine the grare
and the gay, the cheerfulness of youth with the wisdom of age, and amusement
with the weightier topics that formed the subject of conversation to his more
learned visitors^ that his evening parties possessed a charm which many who
frequented them have since confessed they have sought in vain in more splendid
and insipid entertainments. In the year 1806, he accompanied his friend the
earl of Lauderdale on his mission to Paris ; and he had thus an opportunity not
only of renewing many of the literary intimacies which he had formed in
France before the commencement of the Revolution, but of extending his ac-
quaintance with the eminent men of that country, ivith many of whom he con-
tinued to maintain a correspondence during his life.

While individuals of inferior talents, and of much inferior claims, had received
the most substantial rewards for their services, it had been long felt that a phi-
losopher like Stewart, who derived so small an income from his professional
occupations, was both unjustly and ungenerously overlooked by his country.
During the continuance of Mr Pitt's administration, when the government had so
much to do for those who^were immediately attached to it, it was hardly per-
haps to be expected that an individual who owned no party affection to it,
should have j>articipated of its favours. On the accession^ however^ of the
Whig administration y in 1806, the oversight was corrected, though not in the
manner which was to have been wished. A sinecure office, that of gazette*
writer for Scotland, was erected for the express purpose of rewarding Mr
Steirart, who enjoyed with it a salary of i&6 00 a-year for the remainder of his
life. The peculiar mode in which the reward was conveyed, excited much no-
tice at the time. It ^vas agreed on all hands, that Mr Stewart merited the
highest recompense ; but it was felt by the independent men of all parties, that
a libera] pension from the crown would have expressed the national gratitude
in a more elegant manner, and placed Mr Stewart's name more conspicuously
in the list of those public servants, who are repaid, in the evening of life, for
the devotion of their early days to the honour and interest of their country.

The year after the death of his son, he relinquished the active duties of his
chair in the university, and removed to Kinneil House, a seat belonging to the
duke of Hamilton, on the banks of the Frith of Forth, about twenty miles from
Edinburgh, where he spent the remainder of his days in philosophical retire-
ment.' From this place were dated, in succession, the Philosophical Essays in
1610; the second volume of the Philosophy of the Human Mind, in 1813 ;^

> In 1812, Mr Stewart read, before the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a highly interesting
memoir, entitled, " Some Account of a Boy Iwm Deaf and Blind ;•» which waa aubsequently
published in the Transactions of that learned body. The boy was James Mitchell, the son
of a deigyman in the north of Scotland ; and, owing to his unfortunate defects, his knowledge
of external objects was necessarily conveyed through the organs of touch, taste, and smeTl,
only. Mr Stewart entertained hopes of bting nble to ascertain, fh>m this case, the distinc-
tion between the original and acquired perceptions of sight ; an expectation, however, which,
from various circumstances, wns not realized.

* He retired from active life, upon an arrangement with the scarcely less celebrated Dr
Thomas Brown, who had been his own pupil, who now agreed, as joint professor wth Mr
Stewart, to perform the whole duties of the chair. Mr Ste^^-arfS biographer in the Edin-
burgh Encydopiedia, gives the following pfiragraph, in reference to this connexion i — " Al-
though it was on Mr Stewart's recommendation that Dr Bro>%n ^-as raised to the chair of
moral philosophy, yet (he appointment did not prove to him a source of unmixed satisfac-
tion. The fine poetical imagination of Dr Bro^^ii, the quickness of his apprehension, and tiie

IV. S3

322

DUOALD STEWART.

the Fraliminary Dinertotion to tba Encyclopaedia; the coatinuatioii of the
aecond part of Uio Pbilotophy. in 1827 ; and, finaUy, ia l8Sd, the tUvd
volume, containing the Fhiloiophy of the AcUve and Monl Powen of Man ; a
vork which he completed only a few ihort weekt before hit career wae to dote
for ever. Here he continued to be Tiiited by hu frieade, and by nost
foreigner! who oould procure an introduction to hie acquaintance, till the
month of January, 1833, when a stroke of paky, which nearly deprivod him of
the power of utterance, in a great meawire incapacitated him for the enjoy-
ment of any other todety than that of a few intimate friends, in whcM oon*
pany he felt no constraint This great odamity, which bereaf«d him ef the
iaooky of ^ech, of the power of exercise, of the use of his right hand, —
which reduced him to a sute of almost infanUle dependence en those irouDd
him, and subjected him OTOr after to a most abstemious regimen, he bore with
the most dignified fortitude and tsanquiltity. The malady which broke his
health and constitution for the rest of his existence, hippiiy impaired neitfacr
any of the faculties of his mind, nor the characteristic rigour and activity of his
understanding, which enabled him to rise superior to the mtstetme. As eoon
as his strength was sufficiently re-esUblidied, he continued to pmrsue hk itadics
with hk wonted assiduity, to prepare his worics lor the pvem wiUi the aisistanoe
of hk daughter as an aamnuensis, and to avail hiweelf with cheerful and nna-
bated relish of all the sources of gratification which it was still within his power
to enjoy, exhibitingt among some of the heaTiest infiimities incident to age, an
admimble example of the serene sunset of a well-spent life of dassical elegance
and refinement, so beautifully imagined by Cicero : ** Qniete, et pure, et ele-
ganter act» setatk, pfauada ac lenis senectus.**

In general company, hk manner bordered on rcser r o ; but it was the eomi-
taU ewidaa gravita; and belonged more to the general weight and authority
of hk chaiactor, than to any reluctance to take his share in the cheerful inter-
course of social life. He was ever ready to acknowledge with a smile the
happy sallies of wit, and no man had a keener sense of the ludicrous, or
laughed more heaitily at genuine humour. His deportment and expresvon
were easy and unembarrassed, dignified, elegant, and graceful. His politeness
was equally free from all aiftctation, and from all premeditation. It was the
spontaneous result of the purity of his own taste, and of a heart warm with all
tlie benevolent afl^sctions, and was duiractericed by a troth and readiness of
tact that accommodated hk conduct with nnderiating propriety to the drcum-
stances of the present moment, and to tiie relative situation of those to whom
he addressed himself. From an early period of life, he had frequented the
best sodety both in France and in thk country, and he had in a peculiar de-

acutenes and ingenuity of his ai|^ument, w«re qualities but little suited to that patient aiid
continuous research, whicli the phenomena of the mind so peculiarly demand. lie accordingly
oomposed his lectures with the same rapidity that he would faavB done a poem, and diiefly
from the i m wim ee of his own highly girted, but excited mind. IKfficulties wUdi had ap-
IMJled ths stoutest hearts, yielded to his bold anal}«is-, and, despitiDg the fbnnallUes of a
si«ge, he entered the temple of pnedmatology by storm. When Mr Stewart was.apprized
that his ov^-n favourite and best founded opinions were controverted finom the vety diair
which he had scaroely quitted ; that the doctrines of his revered fHend and nuster, Dr ReM,
were assailed with severe, and not very respectful animadversions : and that views even of a
doubtful tendency were freely expounded by his ingenious odlenpie, his feelfngs were
Strongly roused ; and, though they were long repressed by the peculiar drcnmstanoes of his
situation, yet he has givtoi them full expression, in a note In the third vohime of his Ele-
meuis, which is aliice remarkable for the severity and delicacy of Its reproof."

It is worthy of notice, that from 1810 to 1818, when Mr Adam Feigwson died, there were
alive three profeosora of momi philosophy, who had been, or were connected with the Ediii-
buigh onivenity. Upon the death of Dr Brown, in 1820, Mr Stewart resigned the chair in
favour of the late Mr Juha Wilson, who succeeded.

DUOALD STEWABT.

323

gree the air of good company. la the lociety of ladies he appeared to great
advantage, and to women of cultlTated understanding his conversation was par-
ticularly acceptable and pleasing. The immense range of his erudition^ the at-
tention he had bestowed on almost every branch of philosophy^ his extensive
Bcqualntanoe with every department of elegant literature, ancient or modern ,
and the fund of anecdote and information which he had collected in the course
of his intercourse with the world, with respect to almost all the eminent men of
the day, either in this country or in France, enabled him to find suitable sub-
jects for the entertainment of the great variety of visitors of all descriptions,
who at one period frequented his house. In his domestic circle, his character
appeared in its most amiable light, and by his family he was beloved and vene-
rated almost to adoration. So uniform and sustained was the tone of his manp
ners, and so completely was it the result of the habitual influence of the natural
elegance and elevation of his mind on his external demeanour, that when alone
with his wife and children, it hardly differed by a shade from that which he
maintained in the company of strangers; for, although his fondness, and fami-
liarity, and playfulness, were alike engaging and unrestrained, he never lost
anything either of his grace or hia dignity: ** Nee vero ille in luce modo, atque
in oculis civium^ magnus, sed intus domiqae praestantior.'' As a writ<n: of tlie
English language, — as a public speaker, — aa an original^ a profound, and a
cautious thinker, — aa an expounder of trutli,— as an instructor of youth, — aa
an elegant scholar, — as an accomplished gentleman; — in the exemplary dis-
charge of the social duties,^in uncompromising consistency and rectitude of
principle, — ^in unbending independence, — in the warmth and tenderness of hiy
domestic affections, — in sincere and unostentatious piety, — ^in the purity and
innocence of his life, few have excelled him : and, take him for aU in all, it
will be difficult to find a man, who, to so many of the perfections, has added so
few of the imperfections, of human nature. '' Mihi quidem quanquam est
subito ereptus, vivit tamen, seinperque vivet ; virtutem enim amavi illius viri,
quas extincta non est ; nee mihi soli versatur ante oculos^ qui illam semper in
manibus habui, sed etiam posteris erit dara et insignis."

Mr Stewart^s death occurred on the 11th of June, 1828^ at No. 5, Ainslie
Place, Edinburgh, where he had been for a few days on a visit.

The remains of this distinguished philosopher were intenred in the Canon-
gate churchyard, near the honoured remains of Dr Adam Smith* At a meeting
of his friends and admireis, which soon after took place, a subscription was en-
tered into for erecting a monument, in some conspicuous situation^ to his me-
mory ; and a large sum being immediately collected, the work was soon after
commenced, under the superintendence of Mr Flay fair, ardiitect. Mr Stewart's
monument is an elegant Grecian temple, with a simple cinerary urn in the
centre, and occupies a most fortunatia situation on the south-west shoulder of the
Galton hill, near the Observatory.

Mr Stewart left behind - him a widow and two diildren, a son and daugh-
ter ; the former of whom, lieutenant^colonei Matthew Stewart, has puUished
an able pamphlet on Indian aflaics. With appropriate generosity, the govern-
ment allowed the sinecure enjoyed by Mr Stewart, to descend to his family.

The subject of this memoir was of the middle size, and particularly distin-
guished by an expression of benevolence and intelligence, which Sir Henry
Eaebum has well preserved in his portrait of him, painted for lord Woodhouse-
lee, before he had reached his 55th year. Mr Stewart had the remarkable pecu^
liarity of vision, which made him insensible to the less refrangible colours of
the spectrum. •This afiection of the eye was long unknown both to himself and
his friends, and was discovered firom the accidental circumstance of one of his

324 DU. MATTHEW STEWART.

family directing his attention to the beauty of the fruit of the Siberian crab,
irhen he found himself unable to distinguish the scarlet fruit from the green
leares of the tree. One of the rules by which he guided himself in literary
matters, was never to publish anything anonymously : a rule which, if gene-
rally obserTed, would probably sare the world the reading of much inferior
and much Ticious composition.

STEWART, (Dr) Mattbkw, an eminent geometrician, and professor of
mathematics in the unirersity of Edinburgh, was bom at Bothsay, in the
island of Bute, — of which his father, the reverend Mr Dugald Sten-art, \\:as
minister, — in Uie year 1717.^ On finishing his course at the grammar school,
he was entered at the university of Glasgow in 1734. At college, he became
scquainted with Dr Hutcheson and Dr Simsan. In the estimation of the lat-
ter, he rose, in after life, from the rank of a fiivourite pupil, to that of an es-
teemed friend. They were long intimate pecsonal companions, admired the
same branches of their common science, and exhibited in their works symptoms
of mutual assistance. It is said, indeed, that we are indebted to the friendship
and acuteness of Simson, for the suggestion of mathematics as a study suited to
the genius of Stewart. At all events, there is every reason to suppose that the
love of the latter for the geometry of the ancients, was derived from his iuter-
coune with his instructor. While attending the lectures of Dr Gregory in
Edinburgh, in 1741, the attractions of the new analysis were not sufficient to
make him neglect his favourite study ; and he communicated to his friend his
discoveries in geometry, leceiving similar communications in return. While
Simson was conducting the laborious investigations, which enabled him to re-
vive the porisms of the ancients, Stewart received the progressive benefit of the
discoveries, long before they were communicated to the world ; and while he
probably auisted his friend in his investigations, he was enabled, by investi-
gating the subject in a new direction, to publish, in 1746, his celebrated series
of propositions, termed ** General Theorems." ** They are,** says the author's
biographer^ *' among the most beautiful, as well as most general propositions
known in the whole compass of geometry, and are perhaps only equalled by
the remarkable loctu to the circle in the second book of Apollonius, or by the
celebrated theorems of Mr Cotes. The first demonstration of any considerable
number of them, is that which was lately communicated to this society' [the
Royal Society of Edinbuigh]; though I believe there are few mathematicians,
into whose hands they have fallen, whose skill they have not often exercised.
The unity which prevails among them, is a proof that a single, though ex-
tensive view, guided Mr Stewart in the discovery of them all."

Meanwhile, Mr Stewart had become a licentiate of the church of Scotland ;
and through the joint influence of the earl of Bute and the duke of Argyle,
had obtained the living of Roseneath. The " General Theorenu** made their
appearance at a time when they were calculated to have a considerable efiect on
the prospects of the author. In the summer of IT46, the mathematical chair
of Edinburgh became vacant, by tlie death of Mr Madaurin. Stewart i\as
not at that period known to the learned world ; and Mr Stirling, a gentleman
of well known reputation, was requested to become the new professor. This
gentleman declined the situation ; and, towards the end of the year, when tlie
patrons of the university were looking for another candidate worthy of the im-
portant duty, Stewart's book was publislied. The author was readily offered
tlie situation, which he accepted. ** The duties of tliis office," says his bio-
grapher, ** gave a turn somewhat different to his mathematical pursuits, and led

> Memoir by profeflsor Playfair, Trans. R. Soc. Edin. i. &7,
* Communicated by Dr Small.

DB, MATTHEW STEWART.

325

kiiii to think of the most simple and elegant means of explaining those difficult
propositions, which' were hitherto only accessible to men deeply rersed in the
modern analysis. In doing this, he was pursuing the object which, of all
others, he most ardently wished to attain, viz., the application of geometry to
such problems as the algebraic calculus alone had been thought able to resolve.
His solution of Kepler^s problem was the first specimen of this kind which he
gave to the world ; and it was impossible to have produced one more to the
credit of the method which he followed, or of the abilities with whidi he ap-
plied iV^ This solution appeared in the second volume of the Essays of the
Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, for the year 1756. To quote again the
words of the eminent biographer : *' Whoever examines it, will be astonished
to find a problem brought down to ^tlie level of elementary geometry, which
had hitherto seemed to require the finding of fluents, and the reversion of
series; he will acknowledge the reasonableness of whatever . confidence Mr
Stewart may he hereafter found to place in those simple methods of investiga^
tion, which he could conduct with so much ingenuity and success ; and will be
convinced, that the solution of a problem, though the most elementary, may be
tlie least obvious ; and though the easiest to be understood, may be the most
difficult to be discovered." In pursuance of his principle of introducing the
forms of ancient demonstration, as applicable to those more complicated parts
of the science, called the mixed mathematics, for which they had been con-
sidered unqualified, he published, in 1761, his ** Tracts, Physical and Mathe-
matical, containing an Explanation of several important Points in Physical As-
tronomy ; and a New Method of ascertaining the Sun^s distance from the
Earth, by the Theory of Gravitation." ** In the first of these," says his bio-
grapher, '' Mr Stewail lays down the doctrine of centripetal forces, in a series
of propositions, demonstrated, (if we admit the quadrature of curves,) with the
utmost rigour, and requiring no previous knowledge of the matheroalics, except
the elements of plain geometry, and conic sections. The good order of these
propositions, added to the clearness and simplicity of the demonstrations, ren-
ders this tract tlie best elementary treatise of physical astronomy that is any-
where to he found." It was the purpose of the three remaining tracts to deter-
mine the efiect of those forces which disturb the motions of a secondary planet;
and, in particular, to determine the distance of the sun, from its efiect in dis-
turbing the motions of the moon. Owing to the geometrical method which he
adopted, and likewise to the extreme distance of the sun, whicli makes all the
disturbances he produces on the motion of the moon, very near to that point at
which increase of distance to infinity would not cliange their force, he could only
proceed on a system of approximation; and in applying the principles of his plan
to a practical calculation of the sun's distance, which he published in 1763,
entitled, '^ Distance of the Sun from the Earth, determined by the Theoi7 of
Gravitation, together with several other things relative to the same subject," he
was found to have made a very considerable error. He found the distance of the
sun to be equal to 29,875 semi-diameters of the earth, or about 118,541,423
English miles. About &ye years afterwards, tliere appeared a pamphlet from
the pen of Mr Dawson of Sudbury, called '' Four Propositions, intended to
point out certain Errors in Dr Ste>i-art*s Investigation, which had given a result
much greater than the truth." This was followed by a second attack from Mr
Lauden, who, like Price in arithmetic, accomplished the difficult task of be-
coming an enthusiast in mathematics, and, by means of exaggerating errors,
and commenting on their atrocity, astonished the world with a specimen of con-
troversial mathematics. The biographer thus states the sources of the mistakes
ivhich called forth these animadversions : "As in arithmetic, we neglect those

326 MAJOR-GSNSBAL DAVIB 8TBWART. !

sroBlI fractions which , though of incoiitid«nbIe amomit^ would exceedingly em>
haxraae our coxnputatiom ; to, in geometry, it it lonietiBei n e c ewary to veject
those small quantities, which ivould add little to the accuracy, and modi to
the diflkttlty of the inrestigation. In both cases, howerer, tiie same thing may
Iiappea ; though each quantity thrown out nay be ineomiderable in itMl( yet
the amount of them altogether, and their eAhd on the laat result, may be
greater than is apprehended. This itaa just what had happened In the prcseat
cose. The problem to be resolred, is, in its nature, so complex, and invohes
the esiimaiion of so many causes, thai, to avoid inextrtcabla difficulties, it la
necessary to reject some quantities, as being small in comparison ef the rest,
and to reason as if they had no existence.*' Soon after the pubKcation of this
eiiay, Dr Stewart^s health began to decline ; and in 177S, he rethred to the
country, kanng the care of bis dam to his eminent son, Dugald Stewart, who
^^•u elected joint professor with him in 177& He died on the Sdd lannary,
1765, at the age of sixty-eight Besidea the wovhs abore mentioned, he pui>>
lished ** Propesitiones Geometries^ more veterum Demonstratai ad Geometriam
Antiquam lUustrandara et Promovendam Idonett,** 1763.

ST£WART, (MuoaemnauL,) Davoi, author of the well4Enown *' Sketches*
of the HighUuiden and Highland Regiments, was the second son of Robert
Stewart, &q. of Garth, in Ferthshne, and was bom in the year 1779. In the
seventeenth year of his age, he entered the 49nd regiment as an ensign, and
soon became distinguished for that steadincM and firmnem of conduct, joined
to benignity of nature and amenity of manners, which maiked him through
life. He served in the campaigns of the duke of York in Flanders, and was
present at the siege of Nieuport and the defence of Nimeguen. In 1796, he
accompanied the regiment, whidi formed part of the expedition under
Sir Ralph Abercromby, to the West Indies, and was for several years actively
employed in a variety of operations against the enemy's settlements in that
quarter of the world ; particularly in the captnre of St Lucia, and the haraming
and desperate contest which was carried on with the Caribbs in Si Ylneenl and
other islands. In the landing near Pigeon Idand, he was among the first who
jumped ashore, under a heavy fire of round and grape shot frma a battery so
posted as almost to sweep the beach. *' A cannon-ball,^ says he, in a letter
addressed to Sir John Sinclair, " passed lord Hopetoun^s left shoulder, and over
my head. He observed that a miss was as good ns a mile, to nhidi I
cordially agreed ; and added, that it waa fortunate lor me that I was only five
foot six inches ; as if I were, like him, six feet five Inches, I wonld have been
a head shorter.^ In the year just mentioned, he \nM promoted to the rank of
captain-lieutenant, and, after serving in the West Indies for a year sad a half,
he returned to England, but not to enjoy repose, for he was almost Immediately
ordered to join the head-quarton of the regiment at Gibraltar, and the foUon-
ing year accompanied it, when ordered to amist in the expeditioD agunst the
island of Minorca. He was afterwards taken prisoner at sea, and detained for
&fe months in Spain, when he* had the fortune to be exchanged.

At the close of 1800, he was promoted to the rank of captain ; a step which
like all others be subsequently obtained, was given him for his services alone ;
and, in 1601, his regiment received orders to join Sir Ralph Abercromby, in
the memorable expedition to Egypt At the landing eflected In the bay
of Aboukir, in the fiice of the enemy, on the morning of the 8th of March,
1801, eaptoin Stewart was one of the first to leap on shore firom the beats;
and when the four regiments destined for the attack of the enemy^ position on
the sand hills— the 40th, 93rd, 98th, and 49nd_had formed, and received or-
ders to charge up the hill and dislodge the enemy at the point of the bayonet,

MAJOIUGENBRAL DATID STEWART.

92'/

the subject of thie memoir^ by bis gallant besriiig, and knowledge of the
capabiliUes of his countrymen, when pn^rly commanded, contributed esBen-
iisJly to the brilliant success whidi slmost inunediately crowned this daring
operation. In Um celebrated action of the Slst, when the British anoy over-
threw the French, but with the loss of their commander-in-chief, the services of
the 4Snd were such as to secure for them undying fane. On this occasion,
csLj^n Stewart, whose personal exertions had been conspicuous in inspiring the
men with a determination to conquer or perish, received a severe wound, which
prevented his taking almost any part in the subsequent operations of the cam-
paign.

Few officers have ever possessed so powerful a command over the eneigles of
their men as the subject of these pages. He had studied the Highland
chancter thoroughly ; had made himself the brother and confident of the men
under him ; and could, with an art approaching to that of the poet, awaken
those associations in their bosoms which were calculated to elevate and nerve
their minds for tlie perilous tasks imposed upon them. The Highland soldier
is not a mete mercenary : he acts under impulses of an abstract kind, which
none but one pecfectly skilled in his character, and who has local and
family influences over him, can take full advantage of. The usual principles
of military aabovdination fail in his case ; while he will more than obey, if that
be possible, the officer who posesses the influences alluded to, and will use them in
a kind and brotherly spirit Giptain Stewart appears to have enjoyed and used
these advantages in a remarkable degree, and to have posse«ed not only the af-
fections of his men, but of all connected with them in their own country.
Hence, when he had to reciuit in 1804, for a majority, the stated number of
men, one hundred and twenty-five, came to his quarters at Drumcharry House,
in less than three weeks, after which between thirty and forty arrived too late
for admisBion into the corps, whose disappointment and vexation at finding they
could not serve under captain Stewart, no language eould deicribe. With this
contingent he entered the 78th, with the ronk of major, and in 1805, trained
his rooi at Hythe, under the immediate direction of Sir John Moore. In June
that year, he was selected with four other officers to join the first battalion in
India ; but his parting with his men was accompanied with such poignant regret,
and so many mariis of reluctance on their part, that general Moore reported
the case to the commander-in-chief, who, sensible of the value of a mutual
esteem existing between men and officers, countermanded hie removal.
In September, he accompanied his regiment to Gibraltar, where it continued
to perform garrison duty until the month of May, 1806, when it embarked for
Sidly, to join in the descent which general Sir John Stuart was then
meditating on Calabria. Major Stewart accompanied the battalion on this oc-
casion, and was present at the battle of Maida, fought on the 4th of July, 1 806,
where he was again severely wounded. Being obliged to return to Britain for
his health, he was, in April, 1808, promoted to the rank of lieutenantroolonel,
with a regimental appointment to the 3rd West India Rangers, then in
Trinidad* But the severity of the wounds he had received, and the effects of
the hard service he had encountered in various parts of the world, ren-
dered it impossible for him to avail himself of his good fortune, and he
was obliged to retire upon half-pay at a period when, had he been able to
keep the field, he would soon have found further promotion or a soldier's grave.
Notwithstanding tliis circumstance, he was, in 1814, promoted to the rank of
colonel

Colonel Stewart now for several years employed his leisure in the composi-
tion of his work on the Highbnders, which appeared in the year 1822, in two

328

EDMUND STONE.

volumef, 8to.^ The earlier part of this work^ which enten minutely into the
character of the Highlander!, and embodies a great quantity of original anec-
dote and obterration, is perhaps the roost generally interesting, though it does
not aspire to the important quality of historical accuracy : the most truly valua-
ble part of the book is that which details the senrices of the regiments which
have been at rarious times raised in the Highlands ; a body of soldiers gene-
rally allowed to have surpassed every other part of the British army, of the same
extent in numbers, at once in steady moral conduct and in military glory.
The work attained a popuUrity proportioned to its high merits, and will ever re-
main as a memorial of its autlior, endearing his name to the bosoms of his
countrymen.

A few months after the publication of his book, colonel Stewart succeeded
to his paternal estate, in consequence of the deaths of his frther and elder
brother, which occurred in rapid succession. He is understood to hare
employed part of the year 1823, in collecting materials for a history of the
Rebellion of 1745, a desideratum in our literature which no hand was so well
qualified to supply ; but, finding insuperable difficulties in the execution of the
task, he was reluctantly obliged to abandon it In 18S5, he was promoted to
the rank of major general, and he was soon after appointed goTemor of the
island of St Lucia. He proceeded to undertake this duty, with high hopes on
his own part, but the regrets and fears of his friends. Unfortunately, their
nnticipntions proved true. General Stewart died of fever, on the 18th of
December, 1 829, in the midst of many improvements which his active mind had
originated in the island, and which, had he lived to complete them, would have
probably redounded to his honour as much as any ti'ansaction in his useful and
%vell-spent life.

General Stewart was of the middle statnre, but originally of a robust frame,
which was latterly shattered considerably by wounds. His features, which
spoke his character, have been commemonted in a spirited engraving, represent-
ing him in the Highland dress. Few individuals in recent times have secured
80 large a share of the affections of all classes of the people of Scotland, as
David Stewart of Garth.

STONE, Eduuio), an ingenious self-taught mathematidan, of whom nothing
is known, except from a letter itritten by the chevalier Bomsay to fother Caste),
published in the Memoirs de Irevoux. It there appears that Stone was the
son of a gardener in the employment of John, duke of Aigyle, at Inverary, in
the early part of the eighteenth century. '* He attained the Rge of eight years
before he learnt to read ; but, a servant having taught him the letters of the
alphabet, he soon made a rnpid progress with very little assistance. He ap-
plied to the mnlhenuitics ; and, notwithstanding the peculiar difficulties of his
situation, attained a knowledge of the most sublime geometry and analysis,
without a master, and without any other guide, it is said, than his own genius.
At the age of eighteen, he had advanced thus far, when his abilities and the ex-
tent of his acquirements were discovered by the following accident The duke
of Argyle, who to his military talents united n general knowledge of every
science that can adorn the mind of a great man, walking one day in his gar-
den, saw lying upon the grass a Latin copy of Newton's Frincipia. Having
called some one to carry it back to his library, the young gardener told him
that it belonged to himself. The duke iras surprised, and asked him whether
he irere sufficiently acquainted with I^atin and geometry to understand New-
ton. Stone replied, with an air of simplicity, that he knew a little of both.

» It ATas enlilled "Sketches of the Cliaracter, Manners, and Present State of the High-
landers of Scotland, \«ith details of tlie Miiitaiy services of the Highland Regiments.*'

WILLIAM STRAHAN. 329

The duke then entered into conTenalion iiiih the young matbemaliciaiiy
asked him seTeral questions, and was astonished at the force and accuracy of
his answers. The duke's curiotity being redoubled, he sat down on a bank,
and requested to know by what means he acquired such knowledge. ^ I first
learnt to read,* said Stone : ' the masons were then at work upon your house :
I %Tent near them one day, and I saw that the architect used a rule and com-
pass, and that he made calculations. I inquired what might be the meaning
and use of these things ; and I was informed that there was a science named
Arithmetic. I purchased a book of arithmetic, and I learnt it I was told
that there was another science, called Geometry : I bought books, and learnt
geometry also. By reading, I found that there were good books on these two
sciences in Latin : I bought a dictionary, and learnt Latin. I understood also
that there were good books of the same kind in French: I bought a dictionary^
and I learnt French* And this, my lord, is what I hare done. It seems to me
that we may learn anything, when we know the twenty-four letters of the al-
phabet.* With this account the duke was delighted. He drew this wonderful
young man from his obscurity, and provided him with an employment, which
left him plenty of time to apply to his favourite pursuits. He discovered in
him also the same genius for music, for painting, for architecture, and for all
the sciences that depend upon calculations and proportions."

Stone is said to have been a man of great simplicity; and, though sensible of
his own acquirements, neither -vain nor conceited. It is to be regretted that
no partioulars are accessible, respecting the latter part of his career : ive are
not even informed, whether he spent the remainder of his life in Argyleshiro
or in London ; though it seems probable that the latter was the scene of his chief
scientific labours. His works, partly original and pjirtly translations, are as
follows : ^' A New Mathematical Dictionary," first printed in 1726, 8vo ; ** A
Treatise on Fluxions," 1730, 8vo: in this work, the direct method is a transla-
tion from the French of the Marquis de T Hopital's '* Analysis des Infiniments
Fetits," and the concise method was supplied by Stone himself: ^'The Fie*
nients jof Euclid," 1731, 8 vols. 8vo; a neat and useful edition, with an ac-
count of the Life and Writings of Euclid, and a defence of his elements against
modern objectors; besides some smaller works. Stone was a fellow ^C the
Royal Society, and communicated to it an ** Account of two species of Lines of
the Third Order, not mentioned by Sir Isaac Newton or Mr Sterling," which
was printed in the Philosophical Transactions, vol xli.

STRAHAN, WiuiAU, an eminent printer and patron of literature, was born
at Edinburgh in the year 1715.^ His father, who held a situation connected
with the customs, was enabled to give him a respectable education at a grammar
school, after whicii he was apprenticed to a printer. Very early in life he re-
moved to the wide field of London, where he appears to have worked for
some time as a journeyman printer, and to have with much frugality, creditably
supported a wife and family on the small income so afforded him. His wife,
whom he early married, was sister to Mr James Elphinston, the translator of
MartiaL It can be well supposed that he had for mauy years many
difiiculties to overcome ; but he was of a happy temper, looking forward to
prosperity as the reward of his toils, without being unduly sanguine. It is said
he used to remark, " that he never had a child born, that Providence did not
send some increase of income to provide for the increase of his household."
After shaking himself free of his difficulties, he grew rapidly wealthy, and in 1770
was enabled to purchase a share of the patent for King^s Printer of BIr Eyre.
Previously to this period, Mr Strahan had commenced a series of speculations
1 Memoir in Lounger of August 20. 1785.— Nichat's LiU An. ill. 390.

XV. 8 T

330 WIXiUAM SnULHAN.

ia the pttrchaM of liienry property, that species of roerclumdise ulrich move
than any other depends for itM suooeis on the use of great lin^ ^yd pe w and
crttiral discemmenL Strahan was eminently suooessful, and with the aiBal ef-
fect of good naaagementy was enabled to be liberal to authetey while ho
enriched hiniaelf. With Dr Johaaon he was for some time intiaiBtely oomiected,
and he took the diarge of editing his prayers and meditatioas after the doctor^
death. Johnson , hoivoTer, has been aooiised of speaking of him in a
manner which the world seldom admires^ when used towards a person to whcm
the speaker owes obligations, whatever may be the iatelle^al disparity.
Boswell obserres, " Or Gerard told us, that an emioent piatsr was very iati
mate with Warburton. Johnson, * Why, sir, be has printed some of his works,
and perhaps, bought the property of soma of them. The intimacy is sadi n
one of the professors here might have with one of the carpenters, who is
repairing the college.' *' In a letter to Sir William Forbes, Dr Beattie has made
tlie following remark on this passage, " I cannot bat take notice of a very iU
liberal saying of Johnson with respect to the late Mr Stiahan, (Mr Boswril haa
politely concealed the name,) who was a man to whom Johaaon had been maoh
obliged, and whom, on aoeount of his abilities and rirtnea, a» well as lank ia
life, every one who knew him, and Johnson b» well b» others, acknowledged to
be a most respectable character. I have seen the letter BMatioBed by Ikr
Gerard, and I luire aeen many other letters from bishop Warbmrlon to Mr
Strahan. They were very particularly acquainted : and Mr Stiahan's merit en-
titled him to be on a footing o£ intimacy with any bishop, or any British sub-
ject He was eminently skilled in composition and the English hmgnaga, ei&-
celled in the epistolary style, had corrected (aa he told me hiamslf) the
phraseology of both Mr Hume and Dr Bobertsou ; he ^ras a faithfid iriend, and
his great knowledge of the world, and of businem, made him a very use-
ful one.''' The expression waa probably one of a splenetic moment, for
Johnson was iaot on all occasions on good terms with Strahan. ** In the coarse
of this year," (1778,) says Boswell, ''there was a diflereaoe between Ima
(Johnson) and liis friend Mr Strahan : the particulars of which it is unaecessary
to relate.** The doctor must have been signally in the wrong, for he deigned
to of^ terais of accommodation. .''It would be very foolish for as," he says in a
letter to Strahan, " to continue strangera any longer. You can never by per-
sistency make aTong right. If I resented too acrimonioosly, I reseated only
to yourself. Nobody ever saw or heard what I wrote. You saw that my anger
was over, for in a day or two I came to your house. I have given yon longer
time ; and I hope you have made so good use of it as to be np losiger on evil
terms with, Sir, yours, &c., Sam. Johnson."' Strahan, when ho became iafluen-
tial with the ministry, proposed Johnson aM a person well fitted to hold a seat
in parliament for their interest, but the recommendation was not adopted. So
soon as he found himself in easy circumstances, Mr Stmhan became an actiTe
politician, and coiresponded with many eminent statesmen. In the year 1769,
he wrote some Queries to Dr Franklin, respecting the discontents of the Ameri-
cans, which were afterwards published in the London Chronicle of 38th July,
1778. In 1775, he was elected member for the borough of Malmsbury, in
Wiltshire, with Fox as his colleague, and in the succeeding parliament he re-
presented Wotton Basset in the same county. He is said to have been
on active and useful legislator. On the resignation of his friends in 1784, ho
declined, partly from bad health, to stand again for a seat His health from
this period quickly declined^ and he died on the 9th July, 1785, in the (

t Forbes* Life of Boattie, ii. 185.
» Boswcll, lii. 3D2.

DB. JOHN 6TBAK0.

831

ty-fint year of his flg«. He provided munificently for his widow and cliildren,
and among many other eleemosynary bequests, left ;£1000 to the company of
StatuMMrSy to be disposed of for charitable purposes.

The author of the memoir in the Lounger, gives the following account of his
i^haraeter : '^ Endued with much natural sagacity, and an attentive observation of
life, he owed bis rise to that station of opulence and respect which he attained,
rather to his own talents and exertion, than to any accidental occurrence of
favourable or fortunate circumstanoes. His mind, though not deeply tinctured
with leaniing, waa not uninformed by letters. From a habit of attention to style,
he liad acquired a eonsidenble portion of critical acuteness in the discernment
of its beauties and deiects. In one branch of writing himself excelled. I
mean tlie epistolary, in which he not only showed the precision and clearness
of business, but possessed a neatness, as well as fluency of expression, which I
have knoivn few letter-writen to surpass. Letter-writing was one of his
favourite amusements; and among his cocrespondents were men of such
eminence and talents ^ well repaid his endeavours to entertain them. One of
these, as we hare before mentioned, was the justly celebrated Dr Franklin,
originally a printer like Blr Strahan, whose friendship and correspondence he
continued to enjoy, notwithstanding the diflerence of their sentiments in
political matters, which often afforded plea8anti7, but never mixed anything
acrimonious in tlieir letters. * * * In his elevation he neither triumphed
over the inferi<Mrity of those he had left below him, nor forgot the equality in
which they had formerly stood. Of their inferiority he did not even remind
them, by the ostentation of grandeur, or the parade of wealth. In his house
there was none of that saucy train, none of that state or finery, with which the
illiberal delight to confound and to dazde those who may have formerly seen
them in less enviable circumstances. No man was more mindful of, or more
solidtoos to oblige, the acquaintance or companions of his early days. The ad-
rice whidi his experience, or the asustanoe which his purse could aflbrd, he
waa ready to communicate : and at his table in London, every Scotchman found
an easy introduction, and every old acquaintance a cordial welcome.*'

STRANG, (Dn) John, minister of Enrol, and prindpal of the university of
Glasgow in the early part of the seventeenth century, was bom at Irvine in
Ayrshire, (of whidi his father, Mr William Strang, was minister,) in 1 584.
Like many other eminent men^ he had the misfortune to lose his father at a
very early period, but the place of a parent was supplied to him in Mr Robert
Willde, minister of Kilmarnock, whom his mother married soon after she be-
came a widow. Under the care of that gentleman, he was educated at the
public school of Kilmamodc, where he had a» a sdioolfellow Mr Zachary
Boyd, renowned as a divine, as a poetical paraphrast of the Bible, and as n
munificent beneibctor to the university of Glasgow. That singular person always
mentioned Strang as being from the earliest period remarkable for piety ;
togetlier with acuteness and its frequent concomitant, modestyv 'At the age
of twelve his step-father sent him to study Greek and philosophy at St
Leonaitt's college, St Andrews, then under the direction of his kinsman, princi-
pal Robert Wilkie. Nor did he disgrace the patronage of the principal : he
equalled or surpassed all his contemporaries, and was made master of arts in his
sixteenth year. Although still very young, he \i-as tlien unanimously invited
by the master of the college to become one of the regents. That ofitoe he ac-
cepted, and continued to discharge with great fidelity and efiect till about the
end of 1613, when he was with similar unanimity urged to become minister of
the parish of Errol, in the presbytery of Perth. Thither he accordingly re-
moved in the beginning of the following year, carrying with him the best wishes

332

DIL JOHN STRANG.

of his colleagues at St Andrews, and an anip1«* testimimial from the praabyterj.
Among the signatures attached to that document appear those of AlesEandar
Henderson, John Camichael, Robert Howie, and John Dykes,.— .the first high*
ly celebrated, and the othen well known to those who have studied the history
of tlie period. The head of the family t>f Enrol, who resided in tho parish to
which Strang had been appointed, had as a sort of chaplain ft Jesuit e£ the name of
Hay, whose subtilty and eloquence are said to hare been the means of converU
ing him and his family to the Roman catholic fiiith, and of spreading the doo-
trines of papistry through the country. These circumstances afforded Strang
an opportunity not to be omitted, and he is said to hare so ftr counteracted the
efforts of the Jesuit, that, although he could never penuade lord Errol fully to
embrace the protestant doctrines, he was the means of oonrerting his fiwiily.
His son, Francis, a youth of great hopes, died in early life in that faith, and
)iis daughters, ladies Mar and Bucdeugh, adhered to it throughout their
lives.

Among the steps by which king James and the Scottish bishops were now at-
tempting gradually to introduce episcopacy and conformity to the Anglican
church, one was the restoration of academical degrees in divinity, whidi had
been discontinued in Scotland almost since the period of the Reformation, as
resembling too much some of the formalities of the system which had been
abolished. In the year 1616, it was determined to invest several persona with
the honour of doctor of divinity at St Andrews, and, m it was omsidered good
policy to introduce a few popular names into the list, Mr Strang, though in no
way attached to the new system, was among others fixed upon. In the follow-
ing year the monarch revisited bis native country, and, among the long train of
exhibitions which marked his progresa, the public dispensations held in the royal
preser.oe were not the least. One d these was held at St Andrews by the roas-
ters of the university and doctors of divinity, and acoordin|f to his biognpher,
'* by the universall consent of all present, Th Strang excelled all the rest of the
speakers in discourse^ which was pious, modest, but full of the greatest and
subtilest learning." But any favour which he might gain with the learned
monarch upon this occasion was more than counterbalanced in the following
year by his opposition to the famous avtides of Perth : he was the only doctor
in divinity who voted against their adoption. Yet, notwithstanding this cif^
cumstance, when the archbishop of St Andrews got the court of High Commis-
sion remodelled with the view of compelling conformity to these artides,
Dr Strang's name was induded among the members. It i§ greatly to his
honour that he did not attend its meetings or give his sanction to any of its
nets ; a circumstance whidi renders it at least doubtful whether he approved
of the principles of such an institution. In the year 1630^ Dr Strang was
chosen one of the ministers of Edinburgh ; but he was too shrewd an observer
of the signs of those times, and too much attadied to hia flodc to deure a more
public and a more dangerous field of ministration. Neither peieuasion nor the
threat of violence could induce him to remove.

In I6S6, Dr Strang received the king's patent, appointing him prlndpal of
the university of Glasgow^ in place of Dr John Cameroiiy who resigned the
charge and returned to France. At the same time he received an nnanimoua
invitation from the masters of the university, but it was not till a aeoond letter
arrived from ooorty and till he had received many urgent aolioltationa^ both
from the universi^ and the town, that he could be prevailed upon to accept tho
office. His modesty, as well as his prudence, seems to have indined him to a
refusal; and although, perhaps, with suoh commands laid upon him, he could
not with a good grace resist, the subsequent part of his history leads to a bo*

DB. JOHN STRANG.

333

lief that he must hare often looked back with regret. The duties incumbeni
on the principal of a unirenity were at that period considerable ; but his active
mind led him to take a roluntary interest in everything connected either witli
the well-betng of the university or of the town. Under his superintendence, the
revenues of Uie former were greatly augmented,— the buildings on- the north
and east sides of the inner court, were begun and completed, — a large and
stately orchard was formed, — and it is supposed that to his early and continued
intimacy with Mr Zachary Boyd, the society was indebted for the large endow-
ments whidi it received by his will. In the business of the presbytery, he also
took an active part ; and when sickness, or other causes, prevented the minis-
ters of the town from occupying their pulpits, he willingly supplied their place.

Yet the performance of these duties, arduous as they unquestionably were,
and most peneveringly continued for many years, was not enough to screen Dr
Strang from the suspicion of belonging to that class which received the names
of Malignants and Opposers of the work of reformation, A mliUiplicity of
concurrent circumstances compelled the king, in 1638, to yield to a meeting of
the General Assembly ; and, from that period, the zeal of the presbyterians,
like a flame long concealed, and almost smothered by confinement, burst forth
into open air, as if in full consciousness of its strength and terrors. It may
be sufficient to remark here, that their suspicions respecting Dr Strang were
verified a few years afterwards, when, among the papers of the king, taken at
the battle of Naseby, were discovered, ** nine letters of Mr William Wilkie*s,^
one of Dr Strang's, and a treatise,* all of which had been addressed to the
noted Dr Walter BalcanquaL These papers were for some time retained by the
commissioners, as an instrument ^' to keep the peisons that wrote them in awe,
and as a mean to win them to a strict and circumspect carriage in their call-
ings." At length, however, they were sent down to Scotland, in 1646, with a
desire that they might still be kept private for the same reasons. But neither
the letter of Dr Strang, nor his treatise, so &r as we can judge of its spirit
from the introduction, (which Wodrow has inserted at full length,) can excite
tlie smallest suapioion oif the perfect integrity of his character. Like many
otlier excellent men, he objected to the conduct of the presbyterians, not from
any approbation of the measures of the king, of whose character, however, he
had perhaps too good an opinion, but because *^ reason and philosophy re-
commendeUi unto us a passing from our rights for peace sake.^ This, and the
possibility of obtaining '' a perfect estate of God^s church, or the government
thereof upon earth," are in amount the arguments upon which he builds his ob-
jections to the covenant; He condudea his introduction, by protesting that
his opinions were formed entirely upon information which was knoivn to all ;
but, " if," says he, ** there be any greater mysteries, which are only communi-
cat to few, as I am altogether ignorant therof, so I am unable to judge of the
same, but am alwise prone to judge charitably ; and protest in God's presence,
that I have no other end herein, but God's glory, and the conservation of truth
and peace within this kingdome." The treatise is entitled, '^ Reasons why all
his Majesty's orthodox Subjects, and namely those who subscribed the late
Covenant, should thankfully acquiesce to his Majesty's late Declaration and
Proclamations ; and especially touching the subscription of the Confession of
Faith, and generall Band therin mentioned : with an Answer to the Reasons
objected in the late Protestation to the contrary."

But although the presbyterians might not be able to verify their suspicions
respecting principal Strang, while his correspondence with Balcanqual remained
unknown, there were points in his public conduct which were considered suf-
> Minister of Govan, in the neighhoorhood of Glasgow.

334 BB. JOHN STRANG.

ficieot to juflify proceedings to a oeitutt extent agumt hioi. *^ The spleen of
many," writes Baillie, '^ against the prineipal in the Assembly [of 1698] was
great, for many passages of his carriage in this aflhir, especially the last two :
his subscribing that which we affirmed, and h^ denied, to be a protestation
against elders, and so [against] our Assembly, consisting of then and ministers
elected by their roices : also, his deserting the Assembly erer since the com-
missioner's departure, upon pretence titat his commission being once cast, be-
cause it was four, the elector would not meet again to give him, or any other,
a new commission. Every other day, some one or other, noUeman, gentleman,
or minister, was calling that Dr Strang should be summoned ; but by the dili-
gence of his good friends, it was shifted, and at last, by this means, ^ite pat
by."* The AsMmbly, however, appointed a commission to visil and detenaine
all matters respecting the university. ^* This," continues the writer, ** was a
terrible wand above their heads for a long time. Divers ef them feaied depo-
sition. . . *• We had no other intentien, but to admonish them to do duty.^
From the account given by the same author of the preeeedings of the Ass«n-
bly of 1643, it appears that, at that period, the principal was still very unpopular
with the more aealous noblemen and ministen ; and if the account there given
of the manner in which he managed the afliirs of the college, and the strata-
gems by which he sometimes attempted to gain his ends, be eenrect, we have no
hesitation in pronouncing him* deservedly sa According to that statement, the
chancellor, the rector, the vice-duncellor, dean ef £M»ilty, the rectors, assesson,
and three of tlie regents, were not only all ^* at his devotion," but most of them
'' otherwise minded in the public ai&irs, than we did wish ;" and an attempt
was made to introduce a system, by whidi he should always be appointed com-
missioner from the univeisity to the Assembly. Baillie was at bottom friendly
to the principal, and his fears that any complaint made against him at the As*
sembly, might raise a storm which would not be easily allayed, induced him to
be silent. He contented himself with obtaining a renewal of the commission for
visiting the university. *^ This 1 intend,'' he says, '^ for a wand to threat, but
to strike no man, if they will be pleased to live in any p eac ea b le ipiietness, as it
fears me their disa(lection to the country^ cause will not permit some of them
to do."' It must be confessed, however, that these statements of Baillie, written
to a private friend, and probably never intended to meet the eye of the public,
form a strange contrast to the general stmin in which he has written the life of
Strang, prefixed to his work on the interpretation of Scripture. In the latter
it is declared, respecting this period of his life, that '^ he fell under the ill-will
of some persons, without his doing anything to lay the ground of it. When
such made a most diligent search into his privat and pubUdc management, that
they might have somwhat against him, he was found beyond reproach in his
personall carriage, and in the discharge of his office ; only in his dictats to his
schoUars, some few things were taken notioe of, wherein he diiiered in his sen-
timents from Dr Twiss and Mr Rutherfurd in some scholastidc speenbitions. He
was not so much as blamed for any departure from the confession of any Ve-
formed church, • . but, in a few questions, exceeding nice and diffi-

cult, as to God^s providence about sin, he thought himself at liberty, nmdestly
to differ in his sentiments from so many privat men." Yet the clamour thus
raised against Dr Strang, however groundless in Baillie's estimation, was en-

* Baillie's printed Letters and Journals, i. 145. That the reader may undcritand the al-
lusion to liis commissloih it is necessary to mention, that the unirersity of Glasgow had no-
minated four commissionerB to attend the Assembly ; but the Aasembly would not reoogniae
their right to appoint more than one, and liieSr commission was, theretbre, annulled. LUd
i. 107.

s Printed Letters and Journals^ i. S78.

DR. JOHN STRANG.

835

ooimged by his adversariei, and became at length so great, that the General
Awembly, in 1646, appointed commiaionen to examine his dictates, which he
was required to produce, and to report Their report accordingly appears in
the acts of the next Assembly, (August 1647,) and seU forth tliat the said dic-
tates contained some things, ^ so expressed, that scruples hare therefrom risen
to grare and learned men ; but after conference ^vith the said doctor anent
those scruples, and (faaTing) heard his elucidations, both by word and writ, given
to us, we were satisfyed as to his orthodoxy ; and, to remore all grounds of
doubting as to hJa dictates, the doctor himself ofiered to us the addition of
several words, for the further explication of his meaning, which also was ac»
oeptable to an"

But the peace which Dr Strang hoped to enjoy afier the decision of this
question, was not destined to be granted him. ** Some turbulent persons en-
Tyed his peace," and a new series of attacks, of whidi Baillie declines giving
any account, because, to use his own strong expression, he would not ** rake
into a dunghill,'' followed. ** The issue of Uiese new attacks/* he continues,
was, the doctor, outraged by their molestations, demitted his office, and the
rather that, in his old age, he inclined to ha?e leisure, with a safe reputation,
to rerise and give his last hand to his wTitings. ... To this his own
proposall, the Tisitmrs' of the oolledge went in ; but both the theologicall and
philosophy ftonlty of the univenity opposed this, and, with the greatest re-
luctance, were at bngth brought to part with a colleague they so much honoured
and loved." The visitors, by their demissory act, dated 19th April, 1650,
granted Inm ** a testimoniall of his orthodoxie ;" and, as a proof of their affec^
tion, allowed him not only the whole of his salary for the year 1650, but an
annuity of one thousand roerks Soots from the funds of the university, and two
hundred pounds more os often as circumstances would permiL

The remaining part of Dr Strang's life vim spent in comparative quiet, al-
though an expression of Baillie's would lead to a supposition that the malice of
his enemies reached even to the withholding of the annuity just mentioned.
^* Having to do in Edinburgh with the lawyers, concerning the unjust trouble
he was put to for his stipend,^ says he, *^ Dr Strang, after a few days' illness,
did die so sweetly and graciously, as was satisfactory to all, and mudi applauded
all over the city, his very penecutors giving him an ample tektimony."^ That
event took place on the 90th of June, 1654, when he was in the seventy-eighth
year of his age. Two days afterwards, his body, followed by a great assem-
blage of persons of all ranks, was carried to the grave, and buried next to
Robert Boyd of Trochrig, one of his predeoessors in the professorship at
GhMgow college.

Among the last laboun of Dr Strang's life, was the revisal of his treatise,
** De Yoluntate et Actionibus Dei circa peccatum,** which he enlarged, and
made ready for the press. In the author's lifetime, it had been sent to his
friend, Mr William Strang, minister of Middleburg, with a desire that the senti-
ments of the Dutch diidnes might be obtained respecting it At his death, it
was left to the diarge of Dr Baillie, who got the MS. transcribed, and sent it
to the same person. By Mr Strang it was sent to the famous Elzevirs at Amster-
dam ; and, having been carried through their press by the learned Mr Alex-
, ander More, was published at that place in 1657. The only other work of Dr
' Strang whidi we are aware of having been published, is entitled^ ^^ De In-
terpretatione et Perfectione ScriptortB," Rotterdam, 1663, 4to. To this work
is prefixed the life of the author, by Baillie, to which we have already re
ferred.

* Printed Letters aud Journal, ii. 382, 3.

336

SIR ROBERT STRANGE, KNT.

Dr Strang was thrioe married, and had a numerous family, but few of his
children sunrived. William, the only ion who IWed to majority, and ^ a youth
of eminent piety and learning,** was a regent in the uniTeitity of Glasgow; but
died of a hectic ferer, at the age of twenty-two, before his father. He had four
daughten, who sunrired him; all, according to Bailliey ** eminent patterns of
piety, prudence, and otlter virtues.***

STRANGE, <Sia) RoanT, Knight, the ftther of die line manner of engniT-
ing in Britain, was bom in the island of Pomona, in Orkney, July 14, 1791.
He was lineally descended from 8ir Darid Strange, or Strang, a younger son
of the family of Strang of Balcaskie, in Fife, who had settled in Orkney at the
time of the Reformation. He receiTod a dassical education at Kirkwall, under
the care of Mr Murdoch Mackentie, teacher there, and who rendered some es-
timable serrice to his country by accurate surreys of the Orkney islands, and
of the British and Irish coasts.

The subject of this memoir sucoessiTely applied himself to the law and to the
sea, before his talent for sketching pointed out the propriety of his making art
his profession. Some sketches shown by a friend to Mr Richard Cooper, an
engraver of some eminence in Edinburgh, and approved by him, led to Mr
Strange being placed under that individual os an apprentice ; and the rapid
progress he made in his new profession soon showed that he had only now for the
first time fallen into the line of life for which he was destined by nature. He
was practising his art in Edinburgh on his own account, when, in September,
1745, the Highland army took possession of the city. Blr Strange was not
only himself well-inclined to this cause, but he had formed an attadiment to a
Mitt Lumisden,! who had the same predilections. These circumstances, with
his local notoriety as an engraver, pointed him out as a proper penon to underw
take a print of the young chevalier. While employed on this work, his
lodgings in Ste\Tart*s Close were daily resorted to by the chief cAoers
and friends of the prince, together with many of the most distinguished ladies
attached to his cause. The portrait, when completed, was looked upon as a
wonder of art; and it is still entitled to considerable praise. It was a
half length in an oval frame on a stone pedestal, on whidi is engraved,
** Etbbso hissub scocuaRERB sicLo.** As a reward for his serrices, he was of-
fered a place in the finance department of the prince's army, or, as another ao*
count states, in the troop of Life Guards ; which, partly at the instigation of hit
mistrett, who otherwise threatened to withdraw her favour from him, he
accepted. He therefore cerved throughout the remainder of the campaign.
Soon after the battle of Falkirk, while riding along the shore, the sword which
he carried in his hand was bent by a ball from one of the king's vessels
sUtioned a little wny out at sea. Having surmounted all the perils of the en-
terprise, he had to s(»lk for his life in the Highlands, where he endured many
hardships. On the restoration of quiet times, he ventured back to Edinburgh,
and supported himself for some time by drawing portraiiB of the fevourite
Jacobite leaders, which were disposed of to the friends of tlie cause at a
guinea each. A few, also, which he had destined for his mistrett, and on that
account adorned with the utmost of his skill, were sold about this period with a
heavy heart to the eorl of Wemyu, from whom, in beUer times, he vainly en-
deavoured to purchase them back. In 1747, he proceeded to London, but not be-

» Abridged from Wodrow's Life of Strang, !n his biogniphfcnl MSS. io Bibl. Acad.
G asg., fol., vol. il. See nlso, Life by BailFie, above mentioned. The exlracls from the
latter are borrowed from Wodrow'i translalioii, inserted in his life.

1 Sister to Mr Andrew Lumlsden, a Jacobite particnn of Mftne note, and who afterwarfi
formed port of (he household of prince Charles Stuart at Rome, of the anUquities of which
city he published an Booouiit. ^

SIR EOBBttT STRANGE, KNT.

337

fm be luul been rewarded for all hU dietrenet by the fair hand of Mbs
Lumisden* Without waiting long in the metropolisy he went to Rouen , where
a number of hia oonipanions in the late unfortunate war were liTing in exile,
and where he obtained an b€MM»rary prise given by the academy. He afieiv
warda resided for aome time at Paris, where he studied with great assiduity
under the celebrated Le Bas, who taught him the use of the dry needle. In
1751 y he returned to Loodony and settled as an engrarer, devoting him-
self chiefly to historical subjects, whidi he handled in so masterly a manner that
he soon attiactod considerable notice. In ITfiD, when he had resohred to visit
Italy, for his further improvement, Mr Allan Ramsay intimated to him that it
would be agreeable to the prince of Wales and the earl of Bute, if he would
undertake tlie engraving of two portraits which he had just painted for tliose emi-
nent personages, Mr Strange refused, on the plea of his visit to Italy, which
tvould thus be put off for a considerable time, and he is. said to have thus lost
tlie favoiur of the royal preceptor, whidi was afterwards of material disadvantage
to him, although the king ultimately approved of his conduct, on the ground
tliat the portraits were not worthy, as works of art, of being commemorated by
him.

jOIr Strange set out for Italy in 1760, and in the course of his tour visited
Naples, Florence, and other distinguished seats of the arts, lie was everywhere
treated with the utmost attention and respect by persons of every rank. He
was made a member of the academies of Rome, Florence, and Bologna, and
professor of the royal academy at Parma. His portrait was introduced by Rof.
fanelU, amongst those of other distinguished engravers, into a painting on the
ceiling of tliat room in the Vatican library where the engravings are kept.
He had also the distinguished honour of being permitted to erect a scaffold in
one of the rooms of that magnificent palace for the purpose of taking a drawing
of the Parnassus of Raphael ; a fiivour not previously granted for many years to
any petitioning artist. And an apartment was assigned for his own abode,
while engaged in this employ men L A similar honour was conferred upon him
at the palace of the king of Naples, where he wished to copy a celebrated
painting by Schidoni. Mr Stronge's drawings were in coloured crayons ; an
invention of his own, and they were admired by all who saw them. He subse-
queutly engraved prints on a splendid scale from about fifty of tlie paintings
which he had thus copied in Italy.^

The subsequent part of the life of Mr Strange was spent in London, where
he did not acquire the favour of the court till 1787, when he was knighted. A
letter by him to lord Bute, reflecting on some instances of persecution which
he thought he traced to that nobleman, appeared in 1775 and was subsequently

o heads
Wouver-

' The following are amonff the principal eiigniTings by Sir Robert Strange : — T^v
of himself, one an etching, the other a finished proof; The Return from Market by Y
mans ; Cupid by Vnnloo ; Mnry Magdalen ; Cleopatra; the Madonna; the Angel Gabriel ;
tho Virgin witli the child asleep; Liberality and Modesty, by Giiido; Apollo reinrarding
merit and punishing arrogance, by Andrea Saochi ; the Finding of Romulus and Remus,
by Pietro de Cortona ; Csesar repudiating PompeSa, by the same ; Three children of Charles
I., by Vandyke; Uelisarius, by Salvator Rosa; St Agnes, by Domenichino ; the Judgment
of Hercules, by Nicolas Poussin ; Venus attired by the uraces, by Guido; Justice and
Meekness, by Raphael ; the Offspring of Love, by Guido ; Cupid Sleeping, by the same ;
Abraham giyiiifr up the handmaid Hagar, by Guerdno: Esther, a buppliant before
Abasuenis, by the same; Joseph and Potiphar^s \Tjfe, by Guido; Venus, by the same;
Danae, by the same; Portrait of Charles L by Vandyke: the Madonna, by Correglo; St
Cecilia, by Raphael ; Mary Magdalen, by Guido; Our Saviour appearing to his Mother
after his resurrection, by Guerdno; A Mother and Child, by Farmegiano; Cupid Medi-
tating, by Schidoni ; Leomedon, king of Troy, detected by Neptune and Apollo, by Salvator
UoBa« S^r Robert, near the dose of his life, formed about eighty reserved proof copies of
his best prints into as many volumes, to which he added a general title-page, and an introduc-
tion 011 the progress of engraving.

338

MAM STUART.

prefixed to an '' In^iry into the Rise sad EsUbluhneot of Ihe Royal
Acedemy al London,** whidi «« provoked fron lut pea by a law of tiiat inrti.
tutioB agwoit die adaiuaion of ORgmfinge into tlie ezliibitiona. After a life
spent in the active exerdie of bit praCe«ional talenU, be died of an aaOnnaticBl
cem^aint on the 6th of Jnly, 1799, iMving, betidee hit lady, a dangbter and
three tone. Sir Robert hat been described by his Marrifing friends, aa one of
the most amiable and nrCuoos of men, as he was nn^oestioaaUy among the most
able in his own pecaliar walk. Ho was vnassumingy benofolent« and libenl
His industry was eqaally remadcaUe with his talcmt. In the ooldest seasons,
when heakh permitted him, he went to work witli the dawn, and the longest
day lias too short to fatigve his hand. Eren the most mechanical parfti of his
labours he would genemlly perform hioMelf, choosing rather to midefgo
a drudgery so onsuitable to his talents than trast to othen* His remains were
interred in Corent Garden church-yard.

STUART, Mabt, Queen of SeoU, daughter of James V., and Mary of Gmao,
uas bom in the palace of Linfithgow, Ueoendier 7, 1S49. Her fttfaer was on
his death-bed at Fafliland, when her birth was announced to kim; and in
seren days after that event, he expired, bitterly regretting, in his dying mo-
ments, that it was a female, and not a male diild, that had been bom to him.
The young queen having been removed to Stirling, was tiiete solemnly CT O ivn o d
by cardinal Beaton, on the 9th of September, 1 543, while she was yet only
nine months old. The two first years of the infant prfncem^s life were spent
nt Linlitligow, under the immediate charge of her mother, and, more renmtely,
under that of commimioners appointed by pariiament, on Uie part of the nathm,
to watch over the tender years of their future sovereign. Dining her lesldenoe
here, she was attacked with small pox ; but the disease \m of so mild a nature,
OS to leave no trace behind.

The three following years, she spent at Stiriing, under tiie superintendence
of the lords Erskine and Livingstone. At the end of this period, Ab was re-
moved to Inchmahome, a small ishnd in the lake of Menteith, in Peitiishire.
The disturbed state of the country had rendered this measure necessary, as a
precaution against any attempts whidi might be made to get possession of her
person ; and it wn^ thought, that the rensote and sequestered isle to w^ich she
was now sent, offered a greater degree of security ^n could be £sund^ even
from the wards and defences of a fortress.

To divert the young princess in her solitary residence, four young ladies of
rank were chosen by her mother, the queen tlowager, to accompany her.
These ladies were, Mary Beaton, niece of cardinal Beaton ; Mary Fleming,
daughter of lord Fleming ; Mary Livingstone, daughter of one of the youngr
queen's guardians; and Mary Soaton, daughter of lord Sealen. Whether it
was by chance or by design, that these four hdies bore the sism sumasM with
the queen, is not now known ; but they have since been distingnisbed by the
conjuflctive appeHstien of the oom Mabim, and aa sack are oetebiatod in
history.

In this island, Mary resided for upwards of four years; when, agr e ea bly to
an intention which had been eaily entertained regarding her, ahe was sent to
France, to receive the refined education which that country then, abovo all
others, was capable of afibrding. The young queen, now in her sixth year,
embarked at Dumbarton on board of a French ship, which, aeoampanied by
several other vessels of that notion, had been sent to the Clyde to reoetvo hoc.

On her arrival at Brest, whidi she readied on the 14tk of Augost, I&48, af-
ter a tempestuous and tedious voyage of nearly three weeks* duration, she waa
received, by the orders of the French monarch, Henry II., with all the i

MAEY STUART.

339

of jrespect due to her exalted atation ; and ivae soon aflerwards lent, with the
king'i own daughters, to one of the moet oelebinted monasteries in France, to
receive such an education as should become the future ^ueen.

Bemaikable as nvas the beauty of Mary's person , it was not more worthy of
admiration than lier inteilectual superiarity. In all the various and nuoMrous
branches of education in which shis was instructedy she made rapid progreis,
and attained in all a proficiency that excited univeml admiration. She rode
fearlessly and geaeefully, and in dancing was unrivalled, even at the gay and
refined court of Henry IL

GaresMd and admired by all, and surrounded by every enjoyment within the
reach of huumnity, the earlier part of Mary's life glided rapidly away, while
she henel^ in her pemen, gradnally advanced towards that perfection of beauty,
which IS to this hour matter of intevetting speculation, and which she seems to
have possessed in the highest degree of whidi, perhaps, the human form is
susceptible.

A desire long entertained by Mary^s mother, the queen dowager, and. Henry
of France, to unite the interests of the two kingdoms, had early produced a
contract of marriage between . Fmnda, the young dauphin, and the Scot-
tish queen. This contract, Henry now thou^t it full tUM to consummate, and
the youthful pair were aecerdingly united. The nuptials took place on the
34th of April, 1558. Mary was then in the sixteenth year of her age, and
her husband but little oldeiw The ceremony, which was celebrated with great
pomp, was attended, amongst others, by the lord James, prior of St Andrews,
and ether ^ht persons of distinction, from Scetlaad, who had been deputed
for that purpose by the parlianmnt of that kingdom.

Mary, already queen of Scotland, and heir presumptive of England, was now,
by her marriage to the dauphin, queen consevt apparent of France ; a concentra-
tion of dignities which perhaps never before occurred in one person. The last
of these honours was realieed, but only for a dioit period. In 1569, a year af-
ter her marriage, her husband, the dauphin, succeeded to the tlwene, by the
death of hia &Sier ; but in another year afterwards, in 1560, be died, while
yet only in the seventeenth year of his age.

Mary% husband was not, either in mental attainments, or personal appear-
ance, at all equal to his bcAUtiful and accomplished wife ; he ivas, besides, of a
weakly and sickly habit of body, but he appears to haTO been of a ndld and af-
ftctionate disposition; and there is every reason to beliere that he was sincerely
beloved by his royal consort

On the death of her husband, Mary was iarited to return to Scotland, in
order to undertake the government Political motives seconding this invitation,
■he complied with it, and, in August, 1561, sailed from the harbour of Calais,
and on the S 1st of the lame month, arrived nfely at Leith. Her reception in
her native land, was warm and enthusiastic ; and although she soon discovered
many things to increase her respect for the country she had left, she yet fully
appreciated the rinoerity with which she was welcomed.

The period of Mary's arriTal in Scotland was ringularly inausptctous for a
sovereign educated as she had been in devoted attachment to the faith which her
Scottish soljeets had j ust aljnr^. The reformed religion had gradually advanced
from naall beg^ning% amidst great opposition, until it had now attuned a parlia-
mentary establishment Mary had been taught to regard the late proceedings of
her Scottish subjects in the light of rebellion against her lawful authority. Before
she left France her mind was filled with prejudices against the reformed frith and
its promoters. She came to Scotland prepared to subvert the reformation. The
reformers apprehended such an attempt on the part of Mary and her French cour*

840 MARY STUART.

tiers; and, amidst tbe enthwiaBtio loyalty ezpreased on tlie oeearion of her arrival
by all ranks of the people* K is not snrpriring that every opporttraity was taken to
impress the queen*s mind with a sense of the ralne whieh her subjects attached to
their new-bom liberties. Knox and the other leadlDg reformers, who have been
censored for their nncompromisiog deportment towards tlieir sovereign, were, !a
additiooy iuflucnoed by a jost regard for thefar perwmal safety, which could not
fail to be seriously compromised in the event of popery regaining its ascendency
in Scotland. The recent history of France, the Netheriandf, Spain, Italy, and Eng-
land, bore testimony to the perfidious and troculent foe with which they had to
contend Ux the Romish church. ^ The rage for conquest on the continent (remarks
Dr M'Crie) was now converted into a rage for proselytism ; and steps had already
been taken towards forming that league among the popish princes, which had for
its object the univenal extennination of protestants. The Scottbh queen was
passionately addicted to the intoxicating cup of which so many of <the kings of
the earth bad drunk.' There were numbers in the nation who were rinularly
disposed. The liberty taken by the queen would soon be demanded for all who
declared themselves eathoUcs. Many of tiioee who liad hitherto ranged under
the protestant standard were lukewarm in the cause; the seal of others had
already suffered a sensible abatement since the arrival of their sovereign; and
it was to be feared that the favours of the court, and tho blandishments of an
artful and aocomplished princess, would make proselytes of some, and lull others
into security, while designs were carried on pregnant with ruin to the religion
and liberties of the nation." On the first Sunday after hor arrival, Ifary was
so ill-advised as to have mass celebrated in the chapel at Holyrood, cm wliicli
occasion her attendants received some rough treatment at the hands of tho
people. John Knox denounced the observanoe of moss as idolatry, in the pulpit
on the succeeding Sabbath. Two days afterwards, the queen sent for Knox to
tho palace, and held a long conversation with him in the presence of her brother,
the prior of St Andrews, afterwards earl of Momy. She plied all her blandish-
ments to soften the reformer; failing in which she resorted to threats, in the
hope of overawing him* The firmness of tho reformer was as immovable an
his faith was inflexible, and both were proof against the smiles and tears of tlie
youthful princess. On taking leave of her majesty, Knox said, ** I pray God,
madam, that yon may be as blessed within the commonwealth of Scotland a»
ever Deborah was in the commonwealth of IsraeL"

Mary soon afterwards made her first public entry into Edmbnrgh. Mounted
on her palfrey, and suitably escorted, she proceeded up the High Street to tlie
castlo, where a banquet was propared for her. The reeeption she met with
from tho citizecs was extremely gratifying, notwithstanding the aomewhai
obtrusive manner in which many of them indicated their contempt for her re-
ligioDf and theur resolution to defend their own. In a subsequent progress
through Linlithgow, Stirlhig, Perth, St Andrew^ and the neighbouring dii«
triots, she was welcomed with high-hearted loyalty, such as the Scottish nation
never withheld from Mary or her desoendants so long as they reqieoted the
religious principles and political liberties of the people. On one occasion, during
the royal tour, some public demonstration of tho reformera moved the queen to
tears. On her return to Edinburgh she evinced a disposition to check tbe prao*
tice of publicly insulting her faith. Within a few days after her arrival, the
civil authorities issued a proclamation, proscribing the '* wicked rabble of the
antichrist of the pope," and ordering them to withdraw firom tho bounds of the
town, within four and twenty hours, under pain of carting through the streeti^
burning on tho cheek, and perpetual banishment. Mary, however, did not
allow this invasion of her authority to pass with tho same impunity which siie.

MAHY STUART.

341

had permitted in some other inttanoes of a similar kind. She ordered tlie
town council to deprive the prorost and bBillies instantly of their offices, and to
elect others in their stead.

All the French friends who had accompanied her to Scotland , excepting her
itnclOy the marquis D'Elbeuf, disgusted with the treatment which they met with
from the reformers, now returned to their own country ; and the young and
inexperienced queen was thus left nearly alone, to maintain the elevated and
dangerous position in which hereditary right had placed her, against the stormy
and conflicting interests and passions of those by whom she was surrounded.
She ivas now thrown upon her own resources, and, at a most critical period,
left to rely wholly upon the firmness and energy of her onu character, to carry
her through the arduous part which destiny had assigned her.

The fame of Mary'*8 beauty and accomplishments, as ivas naturally to be ex-
pected, procured her many suitors, not only amongst her own nobility , but
amongst foreign princes. She, however, declined all addresses of this nature,
and resolved, in the mean time at least^ to remain as she was : a resolution,
which it had been well for the unfortunate queen slie had always adhered to.

In the month of August, 1662, little of any interest having occurred in the
interval, Mnry set out on a progress through the northern part of her dominions,
accompanied by her brother, the earl of Murray, and a numerous train of nobles
and attendants. On this expedition slie spent three months, when she again
returned to Edinburgh. The two foUowing years, viz., 1563 and 1564, were
undistinguished by any public event of importance, and were, on that account,
probably the happiest that Mary ever spent in her native land.

Though no circumstance of national consequence, however, occurred during
this period,' one of a singular and melancholy interest did take place. This
was the execution of the young French poet, Chatelard. This unfortunate
gentleman, who was attached to Mary's court, had fallen wildly and desperately
in love with his royal mistress. He wrote numerous verses to her; and, en-
couraged by the unreflecting approbation w ith which they were received, and
mistaking the good-natured courtesy of Mary for a return of his passion, he
madly intruded himself into her bed-room. Here he was discovered by her
maids of honour ; but, after being severely reprimanded by the queen for his
audacity, was allowed, from a natural feeling of lenity, as it was his fli-st of-
fence, to oecnpe farther punishment. Undeterred by the imminence of the
danger to which he had been exposed, and of which he must hare been fully
aware, Chatelard, in two nights afterwards; again entered the queen's bed-
ohamber. On this occasion, it was at Dunfermline, where Mary bad stopped for
one night on her way to St Andrews. Highly incensed by the young man's
insolent pertinacity, Mary, after having in vain ordered him to quit her apart-
ment, called out for assistance, and was instantly attended by the earl of Mur-
ray, who happened to bo within hearing. Tho unfortunate Chatelard was im-
mediately taken into custody, tried at St Andrews, condemned to death, and
executed on the 22nd of February, 1563. Before laying his head on tho
block, which he did with the utmost composure, he turned towards the house in
which the quQen lodged, and where he presumed her at the moment to be, and
exclaimed, ^Farewell, loveliest and most crael princess whom tho world
contains!" ^

Mary, if she had not hitherto enjoyed positive happiness, hod at least been
free from any very serious annoyances, since her accession to the throne. This
comparative quiet, however, was now abont to be disturbed, and tho long series
of miseries and misfortunes, which render her history so remarkable, were on
the ere of assailing her. These began with her nnfortunate marriage to

342

MAHT STUART.

Darnley, an erent which took plaee on the S9(li of July, 1665. Tfaecero-
mony was performed in the chapel of Holyeood, on a Sunday, belween the
houn of five and six in the morning.

Henry Stuart, lord Damley, at the tioM of hit nairiage, waa in the nine-
teenth year of hia age ; Mary in her twenty-third. The former una the ion
of Matthew, earl of Lennox, and of the iady Margaret Douglaa, niece of
Henry Vlll. Eten at thia early period of hit life, Daruley wai esteemed
one itf die handiooMSt men of hia time ; hut, unfortunately, there was little
conrespondenee between the qualitiee of hia penon and hit mind. He was
weak, obitinate, and wayward, pomeming tcarcely one redeeming teait, unlem
it were a simplicity, or lather imbecility, which rendered him an eaay dupe to
the designing.

Amongst tiie first evil results which this unfortunate eonnexioQ produoed to
Mary, waa the hostility of her brother, the earl of Munay, who foresaw that
the new diaracter of a king consort would greotly lessen, if not entirely put an
end to, the almost regal power and influence whidi he enjoyed whilst his ustor
remained single. Imprmed with this feeling, he had, at an early period, not
only expressed hia displeasure at the propoeed marriage, but, in concert with
some otlier nobles, whom he had won orer to bis intersst, had taken measures
for seiaing on the queen^s person, whilst she vim trafelling between Perth and
Edinburgh. Being earlier on the road, howerer, and bettor guarded Ofan the
cqnspiraton expected, she reached the latter place without experiencing any
interruption; and in a few days aftorwards, her union with Damley took
place.

On the 16th of August, 1566, seventeen days aAer the celebration of the
queen's nsarriage, Murray, who now stood forward as an open and de>
dared enemy, summoned his portimns to meet him, attonded by their foliowen,
armed, at Ayr, on the 84th of the same month. To oppose this rebel force,
Mary mustered an army of &w thousand men, and, with a spirit worthy of her
high descent, placing herself in the midst of her troops, equipped in a suit of
light arauMir, with pistols at her saddle bow, she maidied from Edinbuigh to
the westward, in quest of the re^l forces.

Murray, who hsd been able to raise no more than t\Telve hundred men,
finding himself unable to cope with the queen, retired from place to place,
closely punned by the roj'al forces. Being finally driTsn to Ciuriisle, whither
he was still followed by Mary, with an anny now increased to eighteen thou-
sand men, his troops there dispersed, and he himself and his friends, abandon-
ing their cause as hopelem, fled to the English court.

This triumph of Mary's, howerer, in place of securing her the quiet which
might have been expected to result from it, seemed merely to hare opened a
way for the admimion of other miseries, not less afliicting than that which had
been remored. Murray, and the other lords who had joined him in his reheU
lious attempt, though now at a distance, and under a sentence of expatriation,
itill continued their machinations, and endeaToured to secure, by plot and con-
trivance, that which they had failed to obtain by force. In these attempts
tliey found a ready co-operator in the earl of Morton, who, though entertain-
ing eVery good-will to their cause, having taken no open part in ttieir rebellioua
measures, was now amongst the few counsellors whom Mary had left to her.
Working on the vanity and weakness of Damley, Morton succeeded in indudng
him to join a conspiracy, which luid for Its object the restoration of the banished
lords, and the wresting from, or at least putting under such restraints as they
should think fit, the authority of the queen. Tempted by promises of undivided
sway, that imbedle prince, slighting Uie ties of natural affection, and forgetUog

MARY STUART. 343

all the kindnefses and honours which his v^fe bad heaped upon him, became an
actire partizan in a plot devised against her interest, her dignity, and her bap^
piness. There was, however, one person whose fidelity to the queen made him
sufficiently dangerous to render it necessary, for the safety of all, thai be shonld
be removed out of the way. This was D^vid Rixaio, Mary's secretary. Sin-
cerely interested in the safety and honour of his royal mistress, he was known
to have exerted his influence with her, against those who had aimed at depriv-
ing her of her autjM>rity ; and he was lUso knovn to have exerted $hat influence
to prevent her yielding up too much of that authority to Damley. fieing thus
equally detested by both, and generally unpopular on account of his religion
and his country, and ior the high estimation in which be was held by the qaeen,
his destruction was determined upon.

On the evening of the Oih of March, 1565, the compicatos^ headed by lord
Ruthven, entered the queen's chamber, whilst she was at supper with several of
her household, including Rioaia On their entering, the queen indignantly de-
manded the meaning of this intrusion. This they soon explained; and im-
mediately proceeded to attack their victim with their drawn we^ons. Rizsio,
by taking shelter behind the queen, for some time escaped the blows of the
assassins, but was at length stabbed in the side over Uie queen's shoulder,
and immediately after di-agged into an adjoining apartment, and de-
spatched with no fewer than fifty-six wounds. Immediately after the as-
sassination, Darnley and Morton placed the queen in ward ; and, on the fol-
lowing morning, issued a proclamation, in the king's name, proroguing the par-
liament, which was then sitting, and which had discovered such a disposition
in favour of the queen, as rendered it highly dangerous. In the evening of
the same day, Murray, with the other banished lords, returned from England.

At this critical period, the vacillating Darnley, unnble to pursue any course,
whether for good or evil, steadily, began to repent of tlie part he was acting,
and allowed himself to be persuaded by Mary, not only to desert his accom-
plices, but to assist and accomj^y her in making her escape from Holyrood.
Attended only by the captain of the guard and two other persons, Mary and
her husband left the palace at midnight for Dunbar, to whidi they rode without
stopping. Here the queen found benelf, in the coune of a fow days, sur-
rounded by the half of her nobility, and at the head of a powerful army. With
these she returned, after an absence of only Af^ days, in tiiumph to Edinburgh,
where she was again reinstated in full and uncontrolled authority. The con-
spirators, unable to ofler the slightest resistance, fled in all directions ; while
their leaders, Morton, Maitland, Ruthven, and Lindsay, sought safety in New-
castle. Mary had, a few days before, with not an unwise policy, lessened the
number of her enemies, and increased that of her friends, by receiving Murray,
and several others of those who had been associated witli hicn, into favour; and,
therefore, now again enjoyed the benefit of the judicious counsel of her able,
but ambitious brother.

Soon afler the occurrence of the events just related, Mary became aware of
the near approach of the hour which was to make her a mother. In the antici-
pation of this event, she took up her abode, by the advice of her privy council,
in the castle of Edinburgh, where, on the 19th of June^ 1566, between the hours
of nine and ten in the morning, she was delivered of a son, afterwards Jaaies
VI. of Scotland, and I. of England.

The intelligence of Mary's accouchement was received with the utmost jny
throughout the whole kingdom. In Edinburgh, it amounted to enthusiasm
All the nobles in the city, accompanied by the greater part of the citizens,
went in solemn procession to the high cfaurdi, and returned tlianks to the Al-

34i MARY STUART.

ittighty fur bestowing a prince upon them, and for the mercy nvhich had been
extended to their queen. Thia imprettiTe oeremony «ae followed by three ett-
tire dayi of continued reveh7 and triumph.

After her recovery, the queen proceeded on an excuteion through Tarious
parts of the country ; and again returned to Edinburgh on tlie llth or t2th
of September, having previoutly placed the inikntf prince in charge of the earl
and lady Mar.

From this period, the page of Mfury's hbtory rapidly darkens; and it is now
ttiat tier enemies asuul her character, and that her friends find themselves called
upon to defend it. Each have written volumes, in their turn, to establish her
guilt or her innocence, but hitherto without approaching to anything like com-
plete success on either side.

At the suggestion of the earl of Bothwell, now one of the most active of
Mary's officers of state, tlie privy council submitted to Mary, then (December,
1566} residing at Graigmillar castle, the proposal that she should divorce her
husband Darnley, to whom she had now been married about a year and a half.
There were sufficient reasons, both of a public and personal nature, to make
such a proposal neither singuhu* nor unwarrantable. Darnley 's intellectual
incapacity rendered him wholly unfit for his situation; and his wayward temper
liad wrecked the happiness of his wife. But the proposal originated in neither
of those considerations. It was the first step of the new ambition of Bothwell,
which aimed at the hand of his sovereign. Mary refused to accede to the pro-
posal, alleging, amongst other consideraUona, that auch a proceeding might pre-
judice the interests of her son. This resolution, however, in place of diverting
Botliwell from his daring project, had the efl'ect only of driving him to a more
desperate expedient to afxoniplish it He now resolved that Darnley should
die. Attended by a band of accomplices, he proceeded, at midnight, on Sun-
day, the 9th of February, 1567, to the Kirk of Field house, situated near to
where the college of Edinburgh now stands, and where Darnley, who was at
the time unwell, had taken up a temporary residence. The mode of his death
had been matter of some discussion previously, but it had been finally deteiv
mined that it should be accomplished by the agency of gunpowder. A large
quantity of that material had been, therefore, secretly introduced into the
chamber beneath that in which Darnley slept. This, on the night spoken of,
was fired by a match applied by the assassins, but ivhich burnt sloivly enough
to allow of themselves escaping to a safe distance ; and in a few minutes, the
house, uith all its inmates, including Darnley, was totally destroyed.

For some time after the murder, vague and contradictory surmises regarding
the assassins, filled the kingdom. Suspicion, however, at length became so
strong against the true perpetrator, tliat, at the instigation of Damley^s father,
the earl of Lennox, he wos brought to a public trial. Bothwell, however, was
too powerful a man, and had too nuiny friends amongst the nobility, to fear for
the result. He had provided for such an occurrence. On the day of trial, no
one appeared to prosecute him, and he was acquitted. Thus far the dark and
daring projects of Botliwell had been successful, and he now hurried on to the
consummation of his guilty career.

On the 20th of April, little more than two months after the assassination
of Darnley, Bothwell procured the signatures of a number of the nobility
to a document setting forth, first, his innocence of that crime ; secondly, the
necessity of the queen's immediately entering again into the married state ;
and, lastly, recommending James, earl of Bothwell, as a fit person to become
her husband. In two or three days after this, Mary left Edinburgh for Stir-
ling, on a visit to her infant son ; and as she was returning from thence, she

MARY STUABT. 345

was waylaid by Bothwell, acoompanied by a troop of a thousand men, all well
mounted, at a bridge wliich cro«ses the rirer Almond, within a mile of Linlith*
gow. Alary, when she encountered Bothwell, was attended by but a slight re-
tinue, and by only three persons of note ; these were the earl of Huntly, secre-
tary Maitland, and Sir James MeWille. Bothwell having dismissed all her
attendants, with the exception of the tliree last, seized the bridle of Mary's
horse, and immediately after the whole cavalcade proceeded with their ut-
most speed to Dunbar, one of Bothwell's castles. Here Mary ^ras de*
tained for ten days, during which time Bothwell had succeeded in obtain-
ing her consent to espouse him. At the end of this period, the queen and
her future husband returned to Edinburgh, and in a few weelcs afterwards
wei'e married, Bothwell having previously obtained a divorce from his wife,
the lady Jane Gordon, and a formal pardon, before the lords of session,
from Mary herself, for his having seized upon her person. With regard to
these transactions, thus briefly narrated, much has been said of the determined,
unprincipled, and ferocious character of Bothwell, and much of the helplessness
of the condition to whidi Mary was reduced ; but it cannot be denied that they
present still a startling appearance, even after all that hoe been said to eitplain
away what part of them affects the character of Mary.

Bothwell, however, did not long enjoy tlie suocom of his villany : his oira
ruin, and that of his unfortunate partner, speedily followed their unhappy con-
i^exion.

Disgusted with the insolence of his manner, and not improbably disappointed
in the hopes which they had entertained from his elevation, a number of those
very lords who had assisted him to attain it, together with many others, took
up arms to displace him.

On learning the designs of his enemies, Bothwell hastily collected at Dunbar
a force of 3000 men, and with these marched towards Edinburgh on the 14th
of June, 1567. The hostile lords, with an army somewhat less in number,
marched from the latter city to meet him, and on the 15th, the two armies
came in sight of each other, Bothwell's troops occupying Carberry hill, a rising
ground to the east of Musselburgh. Neither army evincing much inclination
to [^come to blows, negotiations were entered into, and the final result of
these yyM, that Mary, who had accompanied Bothwell to the field, offered to
deliver herself up to the opposite party, on condition, that they would conduct
her safely to Edinburgh, and thereafter yield obedience to her authority. This
being agreed to, she prevailed upon her husband to quit the field, and, conducted
by^Kirkaldy of Grange, presented herself before the hostile lords, and claimed
their protection. Mary was now conducted into Edinburgh, but with little respect
either to her rank, her sex, or her feelings. Insulted by the rabble as she
passed^along, and dissolved in tears, she was taken to the house of the provost,
instead of the palace, a circumstance which added greatly to her dis-
tress. Dreading a re-action of the popular feeling towards the queen, which,
indeed, shortly afterwards took place, Mary's captors, for they now stood in
that position, conveyed her on the evening of the following day, to Holyrood,
and at midnight, hurried her away on horseback to the castle of Lochleven,
situated on a small island in a lake of that name in Fifeshire, and placed her
in charge of lady Douglas, mother of the earl of Murray by James V«, a woman
of haughty and austere manners and disposition. 7*

This extreme proceeding towards Uie unhappy queen was in little more than
a month afterwards followed by another still more decisive and humiliating.

On the 34th of July, 1567, lord Lindsay and Sir Robert Lindsay, deputed
by the lords of Secret Council, proceeded to Lochleven, and by threats of per-

S46

MAKT STUIET.

soial Tiolence, compelled Mary to lign a deed of abdication, a proceeding
which waf Boon after foUovred by the election of Murray to the regency.

Bothwell, in the mean time^ after some ineffectnal attempts to regain his lost
authority, retired to his estates in the north, but being pursued thither
by Grange and Tullibardine, he embarked for Denmark. Ruthless and despeiw
ate in all his proceedings, he attempted, on his way thither, to replenish his
exhausted finances by piracy. The intelligence of his robberies reaching Den-
mark, sereral ships were despatched from that country in quest of him, and in
a Tory short time he was taken and carried a prisoner into a Danish port On
his landing he was thrown into prison, where he remained for many yean, and
finally ended his days in misery and neglect Sudi was the fUe ai the proud,
ambitious, and widced Both well, the husband of Mary, queen of Scotland.

Though Mary*s fortunes were at this low ebb, and though her enemies were
both numerous and powerful, she had still many friends, who waited anxiously
and impatiently for an opportunity of asserting her rights and arenging her
wrongs ; and for sudi an opportunity, although attended with an uMOOcessfiil
result, they were not called upon to wait long.

On the 95th of March, 1568, about nine months after she had been
imprisoned in Lochleren castle, an attempt nas made, by the assistance of
George Douglas, a relation of the lamily of Lodilefen, who resided in the cas-
de, to efied Mary*s escape in the disguise of a laundress. She was, howsfer,
discorered by the boatmen, who had been employed to conreyher to the shore,
and eanried back to the castle. In about a month afterwards, the attempt was
again made, but now under the aiispioes of William Douglas, a young man of
sixteen years of age, a relation of the Douglas family, and ako a resident on
the island. Doughs, having purloined tiie keys of the fortress, liberated the
captive princess, May Snd, and, conducting her to a boat which was in readiness
to receive her, conveyed her to the shore. Here she was mot, with the most
lively expreisions of joy and loyal affection, by a number of her nohiUty,
whoy having been previously informed of the design, were anxiously awaiting
her arrivaL Placing the queen on honeback, the whole party instantiy set
olT at full speed for Hamilton, where they arrived on the following forenoon.

The intelligence of Mary*s escape, and of the place of her temporary abode,
rapidly spread throughout the whole kingdom, and nobles and troops instanUy
poured in from all quarters to her assistance. In a fow days Mary found her-
aelf at the head of a formidable army, and sunonnded by the greater part of
her nobility. She now solemnly and publicly protested that her abdication had
been compulsory, and therefore not valid, and called upon Murray, who waa
then at GkHgow, to surrender his regency. This he refused to do, and both
parties prepared for hostilities.

On Thursday the Idth of May, Mumy, who was itill at Glasgow, having
learned that the queen, with her foroes^ were on their way to Dumbarton, where
it waa proposed by the finends of the fonner that she should be lodged, as being
a place of greater safety than Hamilton, he hastily assembled an army of
4000 men, and nuurched out to a place called Langside, about three miles dis-
Unt from the city, to intercept her. The hostile armies soon csbm in sight of
each other, and a battie followed, fatal to the hopes of Mary. The main body
of the queen's army was led by the earl of Argyle, the van by Claud Hamilton,
second son of the duke of Chatelherault, and the cavalry by lord Hem'es.
Murray himself led on the main body of the opposing forces, and the earl
of Morton the van.

Mary, on perceiving that the day had gone against her, (for she had
witnessed the contest from a neighbouring height,} instantiy took to hone, and.

MAUT STUABT. S47

accompanied by lord Herries and a few other tnuty firiendi, rodo efT at fuD
speedy nor ever drew bridle until she had reached Dundrennan Abbey in Gal-
loway, sixty miles distant from the field of battle. Here she remained
for two daySy uncertain whither to proceed. Resolving at length to throw her-
self on the protection of Elizabeth, she embarked, with a train of eighteen or
twenty persons, on board a fishing boat, and sailing along the shore until she
arrived at Workington, in Cumberland, was there landed with her suite. From
Workington she proceeded to Cockermouth, twenty-six miles distant from Car-
lisle, where she was met by the deputy of the warden of these frontiers and a
number of gentlemen of rank and respectability, and conducted with every mark
of respect to the castle of Carlisle. This honourable treatment, however, was
but of short duration. Mary was now in the hands of her bitterest and most
inveterate enemy, Elizabeth, and though not yet aware of it, the conviction of
its truth was very soon forced upon her. From Carlisle Mary was, by Elizabeth'is
orders, removed to Bolton, where she was strictly guarded, and forbidden to
hold any communication with her Scottish subjects. Elizabeth had previously
refused to admit Mary to a personal interview, alleging, that she was under a
suspicion of having been accessary to the murder of C^mdey, and that, until
her innocence of that crime was established, she could not afford her any
countenance, or bestow upon her any mark of fisvour. Afiecting an anxiety
for Mary's honour, Elizabeth now proposed that an examination of evidence
should be gone into, to prove either the truth or falsehood of the allegation.
Three sets of commissioners were accordingly appointed for this purpose, one
by Elisabeth, as umpires or judges, one by Murray and his party as defenders,
and one by Mary as plaintifT. These met at York on the 4th of October, 1568,
bestowing upon their proceedings the gentle name of Conference^

From York the Conference, unattended yet with any decisive result, was re«
moved to Westminster, where it was again resumed, and finally, after severid
disingenuous proceedings on the part both of Elisabeth and Murray's commis*
sioners, was brought to a close without being terminated. Without any
conclusive or satisfactory evidence of her guilt, or any decision having been
pronounced on the evidence which had been led, Mary was, though not
fonnally, yet virtually condemned to perpetual imprisonment.

The unfortunate queen was now moved from castle to castle as notions
of caprice or fiincied security dictated, and with diminished comforts and
enjoyments at each remove, until she was finally stripped, not only of all per-
sonal liberty, but of every consolation which could make life endurable. Her
letters of remonstrance to Elizabeth under this treatment are pathetic in the last
degree, but they had no effect upon her to whom they were addressed. For
eighteen years the severities to which she was exposed were left not only
uninvestigated, but were gradually increased to the end of her unhappy career.
On the 35th of September, 1686, Mary was removed from Chantly to the
castle of Folheringay, with a view to her being brought to trial before a coro-
mission appointed by Elizabeth, on a charge of having abetted a conspiracy, in
which the chief actor was one Anthony Babington, and which had for its object
the assassination of Elizabeth and the liberation of the captive queen. The
trial commenced on the 15th of October, but was afterwards adjourned to the
Star Chamber at Westminster, where on the 25th of the same month it was
finally adjudged that '' Mary, commonly called queen of Scots and dowager of
France, was accessary to Babington*s conspiracy, and had compassed and
imagined divers matters within the realm of England, leading to the hurt,
death, and destruction of the royal person of Elizabeth, in opposition to the
statute formed for her protection.*' Mary had been charged with abetting a

348 MARY 8TUAET.

Dumber of minor plota during the prerions term of her captirityy and one
in especial let on foot by the duke of Norfolk^ who had not only aimed
at restoring her to liberty , but had looked forward to the obtaining her
hand. Norfolk's designs were disooTered, and he perished on the scaffold.
Elizabeth's parliament now, therefore, alleged, that their sorereign's security was
inoompatible with Mary's Ufe, and urged her to give effect to the sentence of the
Star Chamber, by ordering her immediate execution.

Elizabeth affected to feel the utmost reluctance to proceed to the extremity
recommended by the councillors, but at length gare way to their importunity,
and signed the warrant for her unfortunate captire's execution, and a commis-
sion was giren to the earls of Shrewsbury, Kent, Derby and others, to see it
carried into effect Aware of her approaching fate, for the sentence of
the commissioners had been early conveyed to her, with an intimation to pre-
pare for the result, Mary calmly awaited its consummation, without stooping to
any meanness to avert it, or discovering the slightest dread in its contem-
plation.

The fatal hour at length arrived. On the 7 th of February, 1 5 37, the earls who
were appointed to superintend her execution arrived at Fotheringay, and
requesting an audience of Mary, informed her of the purpose for whidi they
came, and that her execution would take place on the following morning at eight
oMock. Mary heard the dreadful intelligence without discovering the slight-
est trepidation. She said she had long been expecting the manner of
her death, and was not unprepared to die. Haring, with the utmost composure
and self-possession, arranged all her worldly affairs, she retired to bed about two
in the morning ; but, though she lay for some hours, she slept none. At break
of day she arose, and surrounded by her weeping domestics, resumed her de-
votions. She was thus employed when a messenger knodced at the door to an-
nounce that all was ready, and in a short time afterwards, the sheriff, bearing
in his hand the white wand of office, entered her apartment to conduct her to
the place of execution.

Mary was now led into the hall in which her trial had taken place, and
which had been previously fitted up for the dreadful scene about to be enacted.
A scaffold and block, covered with black doth, rose at the upper end, and on
one ftide of the latter stood the enrli of Shre\tBbury and Kent, on the other, t\fo
exeoitionen. Having aicendcd the s<^/rold, ^Mch she did wuU a dignity and
rampofiure Ihni rather incrensed thiin dinimi^lied aA her fate appra^cbcfl,
Blary prepared for the fntal itroke» After spending a short time in prayer, ilie
desired Jane Kennedy, one of two female atiendants, for whom ehe Imd ivith
difficulty obtaitied the melancholy privilege of accompanying her to the scaflbld,
to bind hfir eyes ivith a hnndkerdiief ivliicli she hnd brought with her for tho
purpose. This done, ihe laid her liead on the block, and the axe of the exe-
cutioner descended. Tlie severed head ^vas inimedlntGly held np by the hair,
uhlch wai now nbierved to have become grey, by the exccutioncr^s aiBistanl,
trho called out " God ■ave'KIjcihelh, queen of Englatid £'* To Ihi* 6entenf» tlie
earl of Kent added, '* Thus pei'ish all her enemies !"

IVlary'a remains ^vere enibalraed and burled in the cathedral at Pelerborough^
but, tvTenty-five years afierwnrdj, ^vere removed by her son James VI, to
Henry VlJ/a chapel in Westminster Abbey, She wns at the lime of Jier death
in the forty- fifth year of her age, ond the nineteenth of her captiirity. Tima
and grief had grently im|mired the eymnietry and beauly of her person ;
yet her figure, even at the hour of her death , was one of matchles* eleganc©.
Still mindful of her dignity, of her high birth, and of what she once had been.

It

JAMES STUARH 349

the unfortunata queen appeared upon the scafToIdy arrayed in her best and mewl
splendid attire, and her whole conduct throughout the trying scene ^vas marked
with the noble bearing and unshaken fortitude of a heroine. Mary nerer for a
moment forgot that she ivas queen of Scotland, and she died with a magnani-
mity worthy of the title.

STUART, Jambs, Earl of Murray, celebrated in Scottish history by the title
of the " Good Regent/' ivas an illegitimate son of James V., by Margaret £r-
skine, daughter of John, fourth lord Erskine. The precise year of his birth,
18 not certainly known ; but there is good reason for believing that this event
took place in 1533. Agreeably to the policy which. James V. pursued with
regard to all his sons,— that of providing them with benefices in the church,
while they were yet in infancy, that he might appropriate their revenues dur-
ing their nonage, — ^the priory of St Andrews was assigned to the subject of
this memoir, when he was only in his third year.

Of the earlier years of his life, we have no particulars ; neither have we any
information on the subject of his education. The first remarkable notice of
him occurs in 1548, when Scotland was invaded by tlie lords Grey de Wilton
and Clinton, the one by land, and the other by sea. The latter having made
a descent on the coast of Fife, the young prior, who then lived at St Andrews,
placed himself at the head of a determined little hand of patriots, waylaid the
invaders, and drove them back to their boats with great slaughter. Shortly af-
ter this, he accompanied his unfortunate sister, queen Mary, then a child, to
France, whither a party of the Scottish nobles sent her, at once for safety, and
for the benefits of the superior education which that country afforded.

The prior, however, did not remain long in France on this occasion ; but he
seems to have been in the practice of repairing thither, from time to tiuio, dur-
ing several years after. At this period he does not appear to have taken any
remarkable interest in national afiairs, and none whatever in those of the
church, to which he had always a decided aversion as a profenion. He, how-
ever, did not object to the good things in its giA. In addition to the priory
of St Andrews, he acquired that of Fittenweem, and did not hesitate, besides,
to accept that of Mascon in France, in eommendam, with a dispensation to
hold three benefices. For these favours of the French court, he took an oath
of fealty to pope Paul III. in 1 544.

From the year 1548, when the prior, m he was usually called, defeated the
English troops under Clinton, till 1 557, there occurs nothing in his history,
with the exception of the curcumstance of hii accompanying Mary to France,
worthy of any particular notice. In the latter year, accompanied by his
brother, lord Robert Stuart, abbot of Holyrood, he made an incursion into
England at the head of a small force, but without effecting any very important
service, or doing much injury to the enemy. In the some year, he proceeded
to Paris, to witness the ceremony of marriage between the young queen of Scot-
land and the dauphin of France, having been appointed one of the commission-
erg on the part of the former kingdom for that occasion. Soon after the cele-
bration of the marriage, the prior solicited from Mary the earldom of Murray ;
but this request, by the advice of l:er mother, the queen regent, she refused ;
and, although she qualified the refusal by an ofier of a bishopric, either in
Franco or England, instead, it is said that from this circumstance proceeded, in
a great measure, his subsequent hostility to the regent*s government

During the struggles between the queen regent and the lords of the congre-
gation, the prior, who had at first taken part with the former, how sincerely
may be questioned, but latterly with the lords, gradually acquired, by his

350 J.VMES STUAET.

judicious oondufl and general nbiliLieij a very high degree of consldeniUon in
the kiiigdoiiL He ivai by nany dognees iJtm most potent imtrumfiot, after
John Kuox, in eftnblieliing lite reformed reUgion,

HftTing now abandoned all appearance of the clerical diaracter, he mm,
eoon art«r the death of the queen rngent, vihidk happened on the 1 Uh of June,
1560, nppointed one of the lordi of ihe Articles; and In the follomng year,
he \%BM commlnioned by a council of the nobility to proceed to France^ to In-
rite Mary, nhoae huiband wai now dead, to return to Scotland. This commi*-
«ion he eiecutcd with much judgment, and uith much tendemen tOTvardi his
jl)*fated relative; hating, much against the inclination of those by whom he was
deputed^ Jniiited on the young ^ueen^s being permitted the freo exercise of her
owtt religion J after she ibould have ascended the throne of her anceitoir.

On MiryV o^uming the reins of gorernment in her native land, the prior
took hii place betide her throne, at her con^dant, prime nuniiter^ and adviser ;
sndf by hi« able and judicioui conduct, carried her wfely and triumphantly
through the Gnt act of her fttormy reign. He swept the borders of the numer^
oui bnnds of freebootcn with wrhtcb they were infested. He kept tlte enemiei of
MaryV dynasty tn abeyance^ strengthened the attachment of her friends, and by
his vigilance J promptitude^ and resolution, nmde thoie uho did not love her go-
irf mment, learn to fear iLi reientment* F'or thcie important services, Mary, uhuse
implicit conHdence he enjoyed, first created hitn lieutenant of the borders, and
afterurards earl of Mar, Soon after his creation^ the earl married the lady
Agnes Ketth, daughter of tlie earl MarisdiaL The ceremony was publicly per-
formed in the dmrch of St (jiles, Edinburgh, ivlth a pomp which greatly
offended the refomwrs, who were highly icandialized by the profimities whidi
irere practiied on the occation. The earldom, which the prior had just oh-
lained from the gratitude of the qaeen, having been daimed by luxd Erskine as
his peculiar right, the chiim was admitted, and the prior resigned both the title
and the property attadied to it ; but was soon after gratified by the earldom of
Murray, whidi had long been the farourite object of his ambition. Immediately
after his promotion to Uus dignity, the earl of Huntly, a disappointed compe-
titor for the power and popularity which Murray had obtained, and for the
faronr and confidence of the ^ueen, having been pvod aimed a rebel for rariooa
overt iicts of insubordination, originating in his hostility to the eiirl ; the latter,
equally prompt, vigorous, and efficient in the field ei at tlie councU board, led
a iniall army, haAtily summoned for tlie occasion, against Huntly, whom he en-
countered at the head of hii adhere nU, at a place called Corrichie, A battle
ensued, and the earl of Murray was victorious* In this engagement he displayed
singular prudence, skill, and intrepidity, and a military genius, which prored
liim to be as able a soldier, as he was a salesman. On the removal of Huntly,
— for this powerful enemy died suddenly and Immediately after the battle, nl^
thoug^h he had received no wound, and hi$ eldeet son perished on the sca^old &i
Aberdeen, — 31urray remained in undisputed possession nf the chief authority in
the kingdom, next to tliat of the sovereign ; and the history of Scotland doea
not present an instance, where a similar authority was more wisely or roor«
judiciously employed. The confidence, however, amounting even to affection,
which had hitiierto subsisted between Blunray and his sovereign, was now about
to be interrupted, and iinally annihilated. iTie first step towards this unhappy
dionge of sentiment, was occasioned by the queen's marriage with Damiey-
To this marriage, Murray was not at first avewe ; nay, he rather promoted it s
hut some personal insults, nbich the vanity and \veakne» of Darnley induced
him to offer to Murray, together with an ofiensive behaviour on Uie part of his
father, the earl of Lennox, produced in the Imuglity statesman that hostility to

JAMES STUABT. 351

Um ooDnexion, which not only destroyed tho good undentanding between him
and the queen, but oonTorted him into an open and undisguited enemy. His
irritation on thif oocadon wai further incveaaed by Mary'a impcudently evincing^
in MTeral inttaneety a disposition to faTOur some of hjs most inveterate enemies;
and amongst thesoy the notorious earl of Both well, who had some time before
conspired against his life. In this frame of mind, Murray not only obstinately
refused his consent to the proposed marriago of J\^ry to EHomley, but ultimately
had recourse to arms to oppose it In this attempt, howerer, to establish him-
self by fnrce, he was unsuccessful • After raising an army, and being pursued
firom place to place by Mary in person, at the head of a superior force, he fled
into England, together with a number of his followers and adherents, and re-
mained there for eereral months. During his expatriation, however, a total
change of aflaln took place at the court of Holyrood. The vain and weak
Damley, wrought upon by the friends of Murray, became jealous, not of the
virtue, but of the power of the queen, and impatiently sought for uncontrolled
authority. In this spirit he was prevailed upon, by the enemies of his consort,
to league himself with Murray and the banished lords who were with him.
Tlie first step of the conspirators was the murder of Rioio, the queen's secre-
tary ; the next, the recall, on their own responsibility, sanctioned by Damley »
of the expatriated nobleman, who arrived in Edinburgh on the 9th of March,
1566, twenty-four hours after the aanssination of the nnlbftunate Italian.

Although Muxray'a return had taken place without the queen's consenti she
was yet very soon, not only reconciled to that event, but was induced to receire
him again apparently into entire fiivour. Whatever sincerity, however, there
was in this seeming recondliation on the part of the queen, there appears to be
good reason for believing that there was but little of that feeling on the side of
Murray ; for, from this period he'may be distinctly traced, notwithstanding of
occasional instances of apparent attachment to the interests of the queen, as the
prime mover, sometimes secretly, and sometimes openly, of a &ction opposed
to the government of Mar^ ; and whose object eviibntly was to overthrow her
power, and to establish their own in its stead. To this end, indeed, the aim
of Murmy and his confederates would seem to have been long steadily duected ;
and the unguarded and imprudent, if not criminal, conduct of the queen, en-
abled them speedily to attain their object The murder of Darnley, and the
subsequent marriage of - Mary to Botliwell, had the twofold effect of adduig to
the number of her enemies, and of increasing the hostility of those who already
entertained unfriendly sentiments towards her. The result was, that she nas
finally dethroned, and confined a prisoner in Locfaleven castle, and the earl of
Murray was appointed regent of Sootbnd. With this dignity he was invested
on the 89nd of August, 1567 ; but whatever objection may be urged against
his conduct previous and relative to his elevation, or the line of policy he pur-
sued when seeking the attainment of this object of his ambition, there can be
none urged against the system of government he adopted and acted upon,
when placed in power. He procured the enactment of many wise and salutary
laws, dispensed justice with a fearless and equal hand, kept down the turbulent
and factious, restored internal tranquillity and personal safety to the people ;
and, in every public act of his authority, discovered a sincere desire for the
welfiure of his country. Still the regent was yet more feared and respected,
than loved. He had many and powerful enemies ; while the queen, though a
captive, had still many and powerful friends. These, having succeeded in ef-
fecting her liberation from Lochleven, mustered in arms, and took the field in
great force, with the view of restoring her to her throne. With his usual pre-
sence of mind, fortitude, and energy, the regent calmly, but promptly, prepared

— I
"1

353 JOHN SrUASXL

to meet the coming ttorm ; and^ in place of demitting the regencjr, as he bad
been requived to do by the queen, he deterndned on repelling force by foroe.
Haring mustered an army of three thowand men, he encountered the foieee of
the queen, which oonfisted of double that number, at Langaide, and totally
routed them ; hit cool, calculating judgment, calm intrepidity, and high mill*
tary talenti, being more than a match for their numerical superiority. Thia
rictory the regent instantly followed up by the most dedsive nMesures. Ha
attacked and destroyed all the cutles and strongholds of the nobles and gentle*
men who had joined the queen ; and infused a yet stronger, and more deteiu
mined spirit into the administration of the laws : and thus he eventually estab-
lished his authority on a firmer basis than that on which it had rested before.

After the qiieenV flight to England, the regent, with soom others, was sonn.
moned to York, by Eliaibeth, to bear witness against her, in a trial which had
been instituted by the latter, to ascertain Mary^ guilt or innocence of the
crime of Damley's muvden The regent obeyed the summons, and did not
hesitate to giro the most unqualified testimony against his unhappy sister.
Haring performed this ungenerous part, he left the unfortunate queen in the
hands of her enemies, and returned to the administiation of the aflaira of
that kingdom, of which he was now uncontrolled master. The proud career,
howerer, of this wily, but able politician, this stem, but just ruler, was now
soon to be darkly and suddenly closed. While passing on horseback through
the atroets of Lhalithgow, on the Sdrd of January, 1670, he wns fired at, from
a window, by James Hamilton, of Bothwelhaugh, nephew to the archbishop of
8t Andrews. The ball paaMd through his body, but did not instantly proTe
fatal. Having reooTered from the first shodk of the wound, he walked to hie
lodgings, but expired a little before midnight, being at the period of his death in
the thirty-eighth year of his age. Hamilton^ hostility to the regent, proceeded
from some sererities with whidi the latter had visited him, for baring fought
under the queen at Langside. The assassin escaped to France, where he died
a few years afterwards, deeply regretting the crime he had committed.

STUART, Jomr, third earl of Bute, and prime miniiter of Great Britain,
was the eldest son of the second earl of Bute, by lady Anne Campbell, daughter
of Archibald, first duke of Argyle. He was bom in the Parliament Square,
Edinburgh, May 96, 1713, and succeeded to the title, on the death of his
&ther, in January, 1799. In April, 1737, <mi a vacancy occurring in the
representation of the Scottish peerage, the earl of Bnte was chosen to fill it:
he was re-chosen at the general elections of 1761, 1768, and 1774. His
lordship married, August 94, 1736, Mary, only daughter of the celebrated
lady Mary Wortley Montagu, by whom he had a numerous family. On his first
introduction to court life, lord Bute had the good fortune to ingratiate himself
with the princess of Wales, mother of George III., who admitted him to that
dose superintendence of the education of her son, whidi was the foundation of all
his historical importance. In 1760, he was appointed one of the lords of the
bed-chamber to Frederick, prince of Wales ; and on the settlement of the
household of the hour apparent, in 1766, the earl of Bute ivas appointed his
groom of the stole. His lordship acquired the full confidence and friendship of
the young prince; and is believed to have been chiefly instrumental in training
and Informing his mind. Before the princess accession to the throne in 1760,
Lord Bute was continued in his situation as groom of tfie stole ; and in March,
next year, on the dismissal of the Whig ministry, was appointed one of the
prindpal secretaries of state. His lordship xnM in the same year appointed
keeper and ranger of Richmond park, on the resignation of the princess
Amelia ; and invested with the order of the garter, — an honour, as is well

JOHN STUART. 353

known, rarely bestowed, except upon penoni who hare rendered important
lenrioes to the state.

llie elevation of a nobleman, only known heretofore as the royal preceptor,
and who was also obnoxious to yulgar prejudices on account of his country, to
such high place and honour, naturally excited much irritation in England.
This feeling was greatly increased, when, in May, 1762, his lordship was con-
stituted first lord of the treasury. It reached its acme, on his lordship taking
meosurei for concluding^ a war with Fnince, in which the Britiih arms had been
iingulavly succestfuJf nnd which the nation in general wiilied to see ferried
on, till that country slionld be completely humbied. Tlie pent Whig oli-
gnrchy^ which^ after swaying the state from the accession of l!ie hnttic of
Hanover, had now seen a he last days of its doiuinancy, was still powerful^ and
it reeeii'ed an eftectire, though ignoble nid, from a popular party, headed by
the infamous Wilkes, and inflamed by otiier unprinripled demagagneSj chiefly
through the medium of the pi-eai. A nempaper, called the Briton, had been
started for the purpose of defemling the new administration. It wag niet by
one called the North Briton, conducted by Wilkes, and which, in ^curriUty
and party violence, exceeded all that went before it. Wilkes^ it h said, might
at one time hare been bribed U> silence by lord Bute ; he now took up the pen
with the determined purpose, oa he himself expreraed it, of writing hie lordihip
out of oflice. Neither the penonal character of Iho minister, nor hia political
proceedings furnishing much mntter for satire, this low-minded, though clever
and fersatile man, set up his country and countrymen as a medium through
which to assail hiiu. The eatl, seeing it in Tain to contend against prejudices
so finuly rooted, lost no lime, after concluding the peace of Fans, in resign-
ing; he ga^e up oli^ce on the iGlh of April, 1763, to the great svtrpriBe of his
euemies, who, calculating hts motives by their own, expected him^ under nil
circumstaui^s, to adtieie to the so-called good things which were in hi a
grasp.

The Bute administnilion, brief m it was^ is memorable for the patronage
which it extended to literature. 1 he minister, himself a man of letters and
of science, wished that the new reign should he the commencement of an
Augustan era; and he accordingly was tlie means of directing the attenlion of
the young monarch to a number of objects, which had hitherto languislied for
want of the crown patronnge^i One of the most remarkable eflects of the spirit
infused by has lordship into the royal mind was, the rescuing of the majestic
mind of Jolinson from llm distreises of a dependence on letters for subsistence ; I
a transaction, for which many bo<omf, yet to he animated with the breath of
life, will expand in gratitude at the mention of the name of George 111,

The ministerial clmracter of lord Bute has been thus drawn by an impartial
writer : ** Few ministers have been more hated tlmn lord Bute was by the Eng^
Jiih nation ; yet, if we estimate his conduct froni fadi, without being
iufluet^ced by local or temporary prejudices, we can by no means find ju£i;
grounds for the odium whidi he incurred. As a war minister, though his plans
discorered little of original genius, and naturally proceeded from the measures
of his predecessor, the general state of our resources, the conquests achieved,
and the dispositions of out Heets and armies, yet they were judicious ; the agents
appointed to carry them on were selected with discernment, and the whole re-
sult was sucoesifuL Ills desire of peace, after so long and burdensome n war,
was laudable, but perhaps too eagerly manifested. As a negotiator, he did not
procure tkie best terms, which, from our superiority, might have been obtained.
His project of finance, in itself unobjectionable, derived its impolicy from the
unpopularity of his admmittratiop. Exposed from unfounded prejudices to

854 JOHN 8TUAKT.

aJumay, he dejenrcd and eaniad didike by hit banghty deportment The man-
ner! vhich custom might hare sanctioned from an imperious diieftain to his serrile
letainers in a remote comer ai the island, did not stdt the independent spirit of
the English aetropolia. The respecteble mediocrity of his talents, vilh the
suitable attainments, and his decent moral cfaaiacter, deaerved an esteem whidi
his manners pvecliided. Since he conid not, iUce Pitti command by superior
genius, he ought, like the duke of Newcutle, to have conciliated by aifiible de-
meanour. His par|inni have praised the tenacity of lord Bote in his pur-
poses ; a quality whidi, guided by wisdom in the pursuit of right, and combined
with the power to render sucosm ultimately probable, is magnanimouB finnnest,
but, without these requisites, is stubborn obstinacy. No charge has been more
frequently made against lord Bate, than that he was a promoter of arbitrary
principles and meaeurss. This is an accusation for which its supportem can find
no grounds in his particular acts ; they endearoured therslbre to establidi their
assertion by cirouitous argumentiL Lord Bute had been the means of dispos-
sessing the Whig connection of power, and had given Scotsmen appointments,
which were fonaerly held by the friends of the duke of Newcastle. To an im-
partial investigation, however, it appMn evident, that lord Bote merely
preferred himself as minister to the duke of Newcastle. If we examine his paiw
ticttlar nominations, we shall find that he neither exalted the friends of liberty
nor despotism, but his own friends. It would piwbably have been better for
the country if lord Bute had never been miniiter ; but all the evils that may
be traced to that period did not necessarily proceed from his aMasures, as many
of them flowed from oirounHtancea over which he had no eontroL CSandonr
must allow that the oompiebensive principle on which his majesty resolved to
govern \timi liberal and meritorious, though patriotism may regret that he was
not more successful in his first dioice. The administmtion of Bute teadies an
instructive lesson, that no man can be long an effoctnal minister of this country,
who will not occasionally attend, not only to the well-founded judgment, but
also to the prejudices, of En^^shmen.'*^

The earl of Bute spent the moat of the remainder of his life in retiremiBnt,
At has seat of Luton in Bedfordshire, but not without the suspicion of
still maintaining a secret influence over the royal couneels. ** The spirit of the
Favourite,*' says Junius, *' had some apparent influence ofer every administra-
tion ; and every set of ministen preserved an appearance of duration, as long as
they submitted to that influence." The chief employment, however, of the ex-
minister was the cultivation of literature and science. He was nrate fond of
books of infomuUion than of inuiginatioib His favourite study iras botany,
with which he acquainted himself to snch an extent, that the first botanists in
Europe were in the habit of consulting his lordship. He composed a work on
English plants, in nine quarto vokimes, of which only sixteen copies were
throu-n off; the text as well as the figures of the plants being engraved on cop-
per-plates, and these plates, it is said, immediately cancelled, though the work
cost upwards of one thousand pounds. He presented to the Winchester college
a bronae statue of their founder, William of Wyliham, supposed to have been
the ivork of some great artist in the fourteenth century. It is a fiill length
figure in the episcopal habit, sixteen inches high, and executed with remarkable
elegance. His lordship was elected one of the tnistees of the British Museum
in 1766, held the oflke of chancellor of the Marischri college of Aberdeen,
and, on the instituaon of the Society of Antiquaries in ScotUnd (1780,) wns
elected president. He was an honorary fellow of the Royal College of

I Bi8Kt*8 Rcifin of George III. ajmd Hr)x)gcs' Peerage.

DB. GILBERT STUART. S55

Phyaicians at Edinbuvgli, and to bini the ani?eEnty of that city waa indebted for
its uaeful appendage, the Botaoic Garden.

Part of hia krdahip'a time in his latter yean was spent at a marine villa
which be built on the edge of the cliff at Christ Church, in Hampshire, over-
looking the Needles and the Isle of Wight Here his principal delight was to
listen to the melaneholy roar of the sea ; of whidi the plaintive sounds were
probably ooagenial to a spirit soared with what he believed to be the ingiati-
tude of mankind. His loridship died at his house in South Audky Street, Lon-
don, March 10^ 1792, in the serenty-nintli year of his age. Of his private
character and manneis, which may now properly be touched upon, an acute ob-
server hat written as follows : — ''I never knew a man with whom one could be
ao long tte a t£te without being tired. His knowledge was so extensive, and
(soosequently hia cenvenation so varied, that one thought one's self in the com-
pany of savenl persons, with the advantage of being sure of an even temper in
a man whose goodness, politeness, and attention, were never wanting to those
who lived with him."'

STUART, (Da) GnaiBT, an eminent historical essayist, was bom at Edinburgh
in 1743. Hia fiither was Mr George Stuart, professor of humanity (Latin) and
Boman antiquities, in the nnivenity of Edinburgh, Gilbert received an aocuni-
plished educatioa in hia native city, under the superintendence of his father. His
education was direcpsd towards qualifying him for the bar ; but it is question-
able whether his raaguifioent opinion of his own abilities permitted him ever
seriously to think of becoming an ordinary practising advocate. Before he
was twenty-two yean of age, he made wliat was considered a splendid entrance
on the career of authorship, by publishing an " Histotical Dissertation concern-
ing the English Constitution ;" the circumstance, that four editions of a work
on a subject requiring so much information and power of thought, yet which
almost every man poaie s s ed knowledge enough to criticise, were speedily iisued,
IS of itself sufficient evidence that the young author possessed a very powerful
intellect.^ When we consider the reputation of > his father, it cannot perhaps
be argued aa a Tory strong additi<mar evidence of the esteem in which the work
was heldy that the university of Edinburgh conferred on the author the dtgrte
of Doctor of Laws. His next literary labour was the editing of the second edi-
tion of Sullivan's Lectures on the English Constitution, in 1772, to which he
prefixed a '' Disoourse cm the Government and Laws of England." Dr Stuart
endeavoured to obtaiB one of the law chairs in the university of Edinburgh,
whether that ef Seottnh or of civil law, the writers who have incidentally noticed
the circumstaaces of his life, do not mention ,' nor are they particular as to the
period, which would appear from his conduct to his opponents, in the Edin-
burgh Maganne of 1773, to have been some time before that year.' Whether
he possessed a knowledge of his subject sufficiently nunuto for the task of teaching
it to others, may have been a matter of doubt; hia talents and general learning
were certainly sufficiently high, but his well-earned character for dissipation, the
eftbct of whidi was not softened by the supercilious arroganoe of his manners,

' Memoirs of a Traveller iMnv in Retirement, iv. 177.

' Kerr (Life of Smeliie) and othen say he was then only twenty-t^o yean oM ; ) et there
is no edition of this work older than 1768, when, according to the same aathoritit^s, he must
have been twenty-six years okl.

* According to the list of Professors in Bower's History of the Univenity of Edinburgh,
the only law ehair sncceeded to for manv years at this period of Stuart's Ufe, is that of the
luw of nature and nations, presented to Mr James Balfour, in 176-1. If we can suppose this
person to have been Mr Stuart's suocessfol opponent, we would find him disappointed by the
same fortunate person who snatched the moral philosophy chair from Hume. The list
seems, howeeer, to be imperfect Mo notice, for instance, is taken of any one entering on
the Scots law chair in 176d> when it wu resigned by Knkine.

356

DR. GILBERT STUART.

was, to Dr Robertson and oUien, fuiBeieiit tcmob for opposing him, without
farther inquiry. To the influence of the worthy principal^ it has generally
been considered that his rejection was owing ; and as he was of a tempenunent
nerer to forgire, he turned the course of his studies, and the future labour of
his life, to the depredation of the literary performances of his adversary; tam-
ing aside only from his grand pursuit^ when some other object incidentally at-
tracted his rirulence, and making eren his inordinate thint of fane secondary
to his desire of rengeance. After his disappointment, Stuart proceeded to
London, where he was for some time employed as a writer in the Monthly Be-
Tiew. His particular contributions to this periodical hare not been specified ;
but to one at all ciirioui nbont the ranUer, it might not be difficult to detect
every ftsnlenr^ of hJs meigTiiloquent peti^ from the poliihed order of the aen-
ten res, tlieir a«pect of gra^e refleotionj and ibe w-ant of dUtlnctnees of idea,
ithen they are criiteally ex^niined. By the eiUbliiUmint of die Edinburgh
]V1tiga%ine and Hevtew^ in 1773, Stuart had more unlhTiited opportunities of
perfonning ihe great duly of liiA life. As niAnager of that periodical, lie was
asiocinled with Mr Smellie, a man of rery different habils and temperament;
and Dbckloclc, Hichavdion, GlLHes, and oilier men of comiderable eminence »
ttere among the contrjLuton^ Thii period ical y^\ hi ch extended to Rre rolume^,
^^ni creditable to the authon ai a literjtry production, and exhibited spirit and
originnlUy, unknown to Lhat clau of literature in Scotland at the period, and
seldom equalled in England, But in regard to liter atut«, Edinburgh was then,
ifbat it ha« ceaied to be, a merely provincial town. The connestioni of the
bookiellen, and the Htemture expected to proceed from it, did not enable H
to support a periodical for the nhole country^ It was the fate of that under
CO mi deration, ^vhile it aimed at talent which itould make it interciting else-
where, to concentrate it, in many inttancea, in nrulence which woi uninteresU
ing to Ibe world in generiit^ and which finally dlsgtisted those persons nioro
personally ai^^uainted with the paHiei attacked, whose curiosity and interest it
nt fiTti rouied, Mr D'liraeli lias diicotered^ and printed in hia Calami ties of
Authors, a part of the correipondence of Stuart at this period, curiously dmrac-
terifitic of hii exulting hopes of comjueit. " The proposals,** he sayi, '* are
issued : the subscriptions jn the booksellers^ shops QitoiiiBb : coniespondents
flock In ; and, iiliat will lurpriae yovi, the timid proprietors of the Sooli
JHaga zine, hate come to the reioluiion of dropping their node* You stare at
all this ; and so do I too.'' '* Thus," obierres Mr EPIiraeH, ** he datters him-
self ho is to annihilate his rlral^ without even striking the ^nt bloiv ; Ihe ap-
paaratice of his flmt number is to be the moment uben their lait is to come
forth." AuthoFi, like the diicovereis of mines, are the most sanguine creatures in
the world, Gilbert Stuurt afterwards ^altered himself that Dr Henry itus lying
at tbe point of death, from the soalping of hii tomahavvk pen. But of this
anon. On the publication of the first number, in Noyeniber, 1773, all is exul-
tation ; and an account is facetiously expected, that "a thousand copies had
emigrated from the Roiv and Fleet Street." There is a serious composure in
letter of December, uhich seems to be occasioned by ttie tempered answer
of his I^ndon corres^jondent. The work was mora suited to the meridian of
Edinburgh, and from causes su^ciently obfiouSi it« personality and cautli city-
Stuart, however, nsaures hia friend, that '* the second number you will find bet-
ter than the first, and tbe third belter tlian tbe second,'' The next letter ji
dated March dth, 1774, in v^hidi I /ind our author still in good spiriis. "The
nisgasine rites and promises luuch in this quarter. Our artillery has silenced
alt <)ppoiition. The rogues of the 'uplifted hands' decline the combdL"
These rogues are tbe clergy : and some others, who had " uplifted lumds/'

BR. GILBERT STUART. 357

from the ▼itupeTatiTe nature of their adrenary ; for he telb ua^ that ** now the
clergy are ailent ; the town council hare had the presumption to oppote us,
and hare threatened Creech (the publisher in Edinburgh) with the terror of
making him a constable for hit insolence. A pamphlet on the abuses of
Heriot*s hospital, including a direct proof of perjury in tho proTost, was the
punishment inflicted in turn. And new papers are forging to chastise them, in
regard to the poor^s rate, which is again started ; the improper choice of
professors ; and Tiolent stretches of the impost T?ie Uberty of the press, in
its fullest extent, is to be employed against them.*'^

The natural conclusion from the tone of these letters, from circumstances in
the conduct of Stuart, which we hare already recorded, and from some we may
hereafter mention, might perhaps be, that he was a man possessed with a gene-
ral malignity against the human race ; yet it has been said that he was warm in
his friendships, and that his indignation against rice and meanness, frequently
exhibited, came from his heart It will appear perhaps to be the truest con-
clusion as to his character, that he was simply one of those men who are termed
persons of Tiolent passions, and who may be made Faloonbridges, squire Wes*
terns, or Gilbert Stuarts, from circumstances. The circumstances which swerred
his feelings into their particular course, appear to hare done so, by feeding hi»
mind with arrogance, and making him look upon himself as a being of
superior mould to that of his fellonv. Such a man, independently of the want
of restraint, whidi he must feel from the opinions of people whom he thinks
beneath him, invariably finds the 'world not so complimentary to his genius as
he is himself ; and he consequently feels surrounded by enemies, — by people
who rob him of his just right His father, long a respectable professor, is said
to hare poisessed the same fiery temperament ; but his mind was regulated by a
routine of studies and duties. He probably entered the world with lower expec-
tations than those of his son, and had less opportunity of nursing his arrogance,
and hii passions eflorresced in common irritability, and enthusiasm for parti-
cular branches of literature. The mind of such a man as Stuart deserves a
little study, beyond the extent to which his merely literary importance would
entitle him ; and perhaps a few extracts from his letters to Mr Sroellie — a man
certainly his equal in talent, and his superior in useful information — ^may form
not uninteresting specimens of his arrogance. As Stuart was above troubling
himself with dates, the extracts are picked misoelianeously.

** Inclosed is Murray's letter, which you will consider attentively, and send
me the result, tliat I may write to hiro. That was to have been done by Creech
and you, but has not yet been thought of by either. The business we are about
to engage in, is too serious to be trifled with.

** It appeals to me perfectly obvious, that without a partner in London, we
cannot possibly be supplied with books ; and on our speedy supply of them,
the whole success of the work must depend. Murray seems fully apprized of the
pains and attention that are necessary, — has literary connexions, and is fond
of the employment, — let him, therefore, be the London proprietor.

** U 1 receive your letteis to-morrow, they may be sent oflT the day after.
Shut yourself up for two hours after supper. Be explicit and full ; and in the
mean time, let me know what books are sent ofi^, besides Harwood and the Child
of Nature ; which, by the by, might have been sent oflT three full weeks ago,
as they have been so long in your possession.

"As to the introductory paragraph about an extract from Kames, I wrote
you fully about it ten days ago ; and it is a pain to me to write fifty times on
the same subject. It is odd that you will rather give one incessant trouble,
' Calamitios of Authora, i. 54 — 7.

-^!

358 DB. GILBEBT STUAST. I

^ ■ ' " ■ "^ "~" I

thiinkMpakiokof ti»BMCtk>iit,ork7Mid« Ui«]ett«ny«uneuv*,widic«py | .
iockMttd. The •ztnd from Kama* it kid ua»6m, to wmkm way f«r «stracte fiwB j |
PenoMiiy which are Bore popular. Explain to , who it by Ihia tino ia | |

town, the ridiodouaoeu of hit behaTioor. It would teem thai hit tarrantt mn ,
perfect idiott^ and that he truiU to them. If I were in hit pUee, and a eciw , |
vant once negiecied to do what I had ocdeied hi«» he ahoiild nere* leeetve i
from me a ae^ad order. i ' '

" I beg that Creech and you may have tome eemmnning about the fiite of ' I
llie magazine ; at I am no longer to have any concern with iL I do net mean ! '
to urite anything for it, after the preteat rolume it finithed ; and I lanqr the
next ia the latt nwnher of the third Tohune. I hare another view of diipoting
of my time, and I ibncy it will almott wholly be taken np ; the tooner, thera*
fore, that I am informed of your retolutiont, the better,*^

Poor Mr Smellie teemt to have laboured with patient, bet ineflectual perta-
verance, to chedi the ardour of hie reitlem colleague. An attack by Stnart on
tlie Elementt of Criticitm by lord Kamtt, be managed, by the tranmnutatioa •!
a few werdt, adroitly to convert into a panegyric. <' ihi the day of paUtca-
tion,** tayt the memorialitt of Smellie, ** Dr Stuart came to inquire at the prinU
ing office, ' if the wat damned f " uting a grem levm whidi he uamlly in-
dulged in, when he wat eenturing an author. Mr Smellie told him what he
had done, and put a copy of the altered review into hit handt. After readings
the two or thne introductory tentenoet, he fell down en the floor, apparently
in a fit : but, on eoming to himtelf again, he good naturedly mid, " William,
aAer all, I believe you have done right."' Smellie wat not, however, lo focw
tunate on other oeoaiont. The eeoentricitiet of the damical Burnet of Mon*
boddo, afibrded an opportunity which Stuart did not with to omiL He pro-
poted to adorn the lint number of the Magaaine with ** a print ef my lord
Monboddo, in hit quadruped form. I mutt, therefore/* he eeatinuet, '* mott
eamettly beg that you will purchate for me a copy of it in tome of the maca-
roni-print ihopt. It ia not to be procured at Edinburgh. They are afraid to
rend it here. We axe to take it on the footing of a figure of an aniaml, net
yet detcribed ; and are to give a grave, yet taticical account <tf it, ia the man-
ner of Bufibn. It would not be proper to allude to hit lorddiip, but in a very
distant manner.*'' Although thit laboriout joke wat not attempted, Stoart't
criticism on the Origin and Program of Language, notwithstanding the mollifi*
cations of Samllie, had a teneible efiSsct on the tale of the magaaine. '' I am
torry," sayt Mr Murray, in a letter to Smellie, " for tlie deieat you have net
with. Und yon praited lord Monboddo, initead of damning him, it would not
have happened/' It is to be feared the influence against the periodica] w^as
produced, not so much by its having unduly attacked tlie work of a philosopher,
as from its having eentuied a lord of tettion.

During hit labourt for thit magazine, Stuart did not neglect fait pleaturea.
He is said one night to have called at the house of hit friend Smellie, in a state
of iudi complete jollity, that it waa neoestary he should be put to bed. Awaken-
ing, and mistaking tl)e description of place in wlu«^ he wat lodged, he brought
hit friend in hit night-gown to hit bed>tide, by hit repeated criet of *^ hom$$ !
houn /" and, in a tone of sympatliy, laid to him, ** Smellie ! 1 never expected
to see yon in such a house. Get on your dothee^ and retuia immediately to
your wife and family : and be assured I shall never mention this affiiir to any
one.*' The biogri^her of Smellie, who hat recorded the above, gi ret the fol-
lowing similar anecdote of Stuart and hia friends. *' On another xamhle ot

< Ktrr's Life of SmelHe, v. i. * Kerr's Smellie, i. 409.

UJamiiies of Authon, 1. 6&

DB. GnS£RT STUART. 368

duupnlion, Dr Stuart if said to bare takan «averal days to tniYal on foot be*
tween the croai of Edinburgli and Munalbinqgl^ a distanoa of only fix aules ;
aCoppiog at every public-houie by the way, in which gfood ale ooidd be found.
In tbit atxange expedition he mn aooonpanied part of the way by cereral boon
oonpaBionfl, who were fiucinated beyond their ordinary excetiei, by hit great
poneii of wit and hilarity in convenation ; but who gradually fell off at various
•tagee of the glow progreiiioo. The laet of these companions began his re-
turn towards Edinburgh from the Magdalen bridge, within a mile of Mus-
selburgh ; bat, oppressed by the fumes of the ale, which he hod too long and
too liberally indulged in, he staggered, in the BEuddle of tho night, into the
ash-pit of a great steam engine, which then stood by the road side, and fell into
a profound deepw On awakening before day, he beheld the mouth of an im-
mense fiery furnace open, several figures, all grim with soot and ashes, were
stirring the fire, ranging the bars of the enormous grate, and throwing on more
fuel ; while the terrible clanking of the diains and beams of the machinery
above, impressed his still confused imagination wiUi an idea that he was in
helL Honor-struck at the frightful idea, lie is said to have exclaimed, ' Good
Godi is it come to this at last?' "^

The persecution of Henry, the author of the History of Great Britain, com«
meneed by Stuart in the Edinburgh Magazine and Review, has been recorded
iu the memoir of that individual Before quitting this subject, let us give the
parting curse of the editor for bis literary disappointments in Scotlandl ** It
is an infinite disappointment to me Uiat the Magaaine does not grow in Lon-
don. I thought the soil had been richer. But it is my constant fate to be dis-
appointed in everything I attempt; I do not think I ever had a wish that was
gratified ; and never dreaded an event that did not come. With this felicity of
fate, I wonder how the devil I could turn projector. I am now sorry that I
left London ; and the moment I have money enough to carry me back to it, I
shall set ofi; / mortaUy detest and abhor this place, and every body in it.
Never was there a city where there was so much pretension to knowledge, and
that had so little of it The solemn foppery, and the gross stupidity of the
Scottish literati are perfectly insupportable. I shall drop my idea of a Scots
newspaper. Nothing will do in this country that has common sense in it;
only cant, hypocrisy, and superstition, wUl flourish here. A curse on the coun-
try, and on all the men, women, and children of tV.'' ^ Accordingly, Stuart
did return to England, and along with Whitaker, the historian of Manchester,
a man of very different literary habits, but somewhat similar in temper,
for some time supported the English Review. In 1778, he published his well
known '' View of Society in Europe in its progress from rudeness to refine-
ment; or, Inquiries concerning the History of Law, Government, and
Manners.** This, the most popular of his works, and for a long time a standard
book on the subject, is certainly the most carefully and considerately prepared
of all his wTi tings. Its adoption almost to caricature, of that practice of the
great Montesquieu, which was all of him that some writers could imitate, of
drawing reflections whether there were, or were not facts to support tliem, was
fashionable, tnd did not perhaps disparage the work ; while the easy flow of
the sentences fascinated many renders. It cannot be said that in this book he
made any discovery, or established any fact of importance. He contented him-
self with vague speculations on the description of the manners of the Germans
by Tacitus, and new reflections upon such circumstances as had been repeated-
ly noticed before. To have made a book of permanent interest and utility

7 Kerr's SmelUe, i. 501. « Culamiiies of Authors, if. CO.

860 DB. GILBERT STUABT.

from fiifito which «Tery one knew, required a higher philosophical geniiM Ihaa
that of Stuar^ and since the more accurate reieaichet of HalUu and Meyer^
the book has fallen into disute. In 1779, he published '' Obsenrstiona
concerning the Publife Law, and the Constitutional History of Scotland^ with
occasional remarks conosming English Anti^ity.*' To a diligent man, who
would have taken the trouble of in?estigating facii, there would here hare been
a very tolerable opportunity of attacking Robertson, at least on tiie score of
omiuions, for his constitutional riews are rery imperfect; Stuart, howerer,
had no more facts than those which his adrersary provided him with,
and he contented himself with deducing opposite opinions. As there was
a real want of matter sufficient to supply anything like a Cnetiso on the suU
ject — a want scarcely yet filled up — this work was still more tague and senten-
tious, than that on the general history of Europe. A sentence towards the
commencement is rery characteristic of the author's habits of thought *^ An
idea has prevailed, tliat one nation of Europe adopted the feudal institutions
from another, and the similarity of fieft in all the states where they were es-
tablished, has given an air of plausibility to this opinion. It is contradicted,
however, by the principles of natural reason, and by the nature of the feudal
usages : and, if 1 am not mistaken, it receives no real sanction from records or
history.'* Thus, his own opinions on ** the principles of natural reason," and
on ** the nature of the feudal usages,** were to him of more importance than
<' records or history.** In 1 780, he published his '' History of the esUblishment
of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland,** commencing in 1517, and ending
in 1561 ,* and in 1783, <* The History of Scotland, from the Eilablishment of
the Reformation till the death of queen Mary.** Both these works are said by
those who have perused them, to be written with the view of controverting the
opinions of Dr Robertson. In 1785, Stuart was at the head of " The Political
Herald and Review, or a survey of Domestic and Foreign Politics, and
a critical account of Political and Historical Publications." In this work we
frequently meet the flowing sentences of Stuart, especially in papers relating to
Scotland, of which there are several. It is a curious circumstance that,
especially in letters of animadversion addreised to individuals, he lias evidently
endeavoured to ingraft the pointed sarcasm of Junius on his own slashing
treapon. One of these, ** An Addreis to Henry Dundas, Esq., treasurer of the
Navy, on the Perth Peerage,*' is with some servility signed ** Brutus." This
M ork extended, we believe, to only two volumes, which are now rather rare.

In London, Stuart seems to have suffered most of the miseries of unsuccessful
authorship, and to have paid dearly for talents misapplied.

In the life of Dr William Thomson, in the Annual Obituary for 1833, there
is the following highly characteristic notice of his life and habits at this period :
" Although the son of a professor, and himself a candidate for the same office,
after a regular education at the university of Edinburgh : yet we have heard
his friend assert, and appeal to tlieir common acquaintance, Dr Grant, for the
truth of the position, tluit, although he excelled in composition, and possessed a
variety of other knowledge, yet he was actually unacquainted with the common
divisions of science and philosophy. Under this gentleman, as has been al-
ready observed, he (Dr Thomson) composed sevend papers for the Political
Herald, for which the former, as the ostensible editor, was handsomely paid ;
while the latter received but a scanty remuneration. But it was as a boon com*
panion that he was intimately acquainted with this gentleman, who was* greatly
addicted to conviviality, and that too in a manner, and to an excess which can
sceroely be credited by one who is acquainted with the elegant eflusions of his
polished mind. The ' Peacodc.* in Grays-Inn lane, was the scene of

BOBEBT TANNAHHiL. 3G1

their festiTit]e0» and it was there that these learned Doctors, in rlTuleis of Bar-
ton ale, not nnfrequently quaffed libations to their &7oarito deity, until tho
dock informed them of the approaching day."

His constitution at length broke down, and he took a sea-Toyage to the place
of his nativity for the recoyery of his health,* but died of dropsy, at his
father's house, near Musselburgh, August 13, 1786, aged forty-four.

TANKAHILL,'^BoB£BT, a very popular writer of Scottish songs, was born in
Paisley on the 3rd of June, 1774. He ^vas the son of James Tannahili, a weaver
of silk gauze there, who originally came from Kilmarnock, and Janet Pollock,
the daughter of a farmer near Beith. Both parents were much respected for
their intelligence and worth ; the mother, in particular, was a woman of very
general information, and exemplary conduct in life. Their family consisted of
six sons and one daughter ; Robert being the fourth child. At his birth, one
of his legs nas deformed, the foot being considerably bent, and the leg smaller
tlian the other. During his boyhood, he was much ashamed of his crooked foot,
and took every opportunity, when alone, to try and straighten it with his hand.
In this manner, by constant application, he brought it into a proper position ;
but the leg always continued smaller than its fellow, and, to hide this deformity,
he generally wore upon it two or more pain of stockings. The deception suc-
ceeded so well, that few of his companions knew that the one leg differed from
the other { nor did he suffer much inconvenience from it, being able to join in
the dance, or afternoon excursion, without betraying any lamencM, although in
long journeys it generally failed him. When at school, he began to distinguish
himself by writing verses. These were generally upon some odd character
about the place, or upon any unusual circumstance that might occur. After
school-hours, it was customary for the boys to put riddles to each other, or, as
they called it, to '' speer guesses.^' Robert usually gave his in rhyme ; and a
schoolfellow, to whom we are indebted for some of the particulars of this me*
moir, remembers one of them to this day. It was as follows ^—

My colour's brown, my shape's nncoutii,
• On Ilka side I faae a mouth ;
And, strange to tell, I will devour
My bulk of meat in half an hour.

This riddle, on being solved, turned out to allude to the big, brown, unshapely
nose of a well*knowu character, who took large quantities of muff.

From the school, where he was taught to read, write, and cast accounts,
Tannahill was sent to the loom. About this time, the weaving of cotton was
introduced into Paisley ; and the high wages realised by it, induced parents to
teach their children the trade at an early age, so that their apprenticeships
were generally finished by the tiine they reached fifteen or sixteen. The flow oi
money, which persona thus so young' oould command by the exeroiM of a flourish-
fog handicraft, led to the early marriages for which Paisley was then noted ; and
no town at the time abounded in more merrymakings, or presented a more gay
and thriving community. ^Education was widely diffused amongst the inhabitants,
who were remarkable for the intelligent and active interest they took in public
affairs. The weaviog population could always afford a weekly half-holiday for
oultivatiog their gardens or rambling into the country. Tannahill participated
in the general prosperity. Dancing parties and rural ezeursions were frequent

IV 2Z

862 ROBERT TANNAHUL.

among the young people of both lexet, and in these he often joined He flien
formed many of thoee poetical attachment!, ivhich he afterwardi celebrated in
6ong. It waa in such meetings, and sudi exennions, that he fimt saw ** Jessie
the flower o" Damblane,*^ — ^first heard Hie song of the ** maris'' from the " Wood
of Cnugielee,** — and first breathed the fvagiant ** broom^ of the ** Bises o*
Gleniffer."

While at work, it uas his custom to occupy his mind with the oomponUon of
▼erses. To his loom he attached a sort of writing-desk, by whidi he was en-
abled, in the midst of his labouis, to jot down any lines that might occur to
him, without rising from his seat In this way, some of his best songs were
composed. He had a correct ear for music, and played the flute well ; and
whenerer a tune greatly pleased him, it was his ambition to give h appropriate
words of his own. It has been said in most of the notices of his life,
that from his fourteenth to his twenty-fourth year, he wholly neglected the
muse ; but this is a mistake. He seldom allowed many days to pass without
composing some song or copy of rerses, which it was his custom to read to one
or two oidy of his intimate acquaintances. The first poem of his whidi ap«
i I peared in print, was in praise of Ferguslee wood ; a wood which was one of hia
faYourite haunts, and which often in the summer erenings rang to the notes of
his flute. The lines were sent to a Glasgow periodical, and obtained immediate
insertion, accompanied with a request for further fiirours. This was the more
gratifying to the young poet, as in one or two preWous endeavoun at publica*
tion, he had been unsuocessful ; and from this period he continued, for two or
three yean afterwards, to send occasional contributions to the Glasgow papers.

After his apprenticeship had expired, he remoyed to the Tillage of Loch-
winnoch, about nine miles from Paisley, where he continued to work at the
loom for some time. It may be worth mentioning, that Alexander Wilson, the
poet and future American ornithologist, was at this time also weanng in the
same Tillage. He was by some years tlie senior of Tamahill ; and the latter,
being then unknown to fame, had not the fortitude to seek his acquaintance,
although he greatly admired the pieces by which Wilson had already distiiH
guished himself

About the year 1 800, some of the figured loonwwork, for which Paisley was
famed, was beginning to be manufactured in England, and it was reported
tliat great wages were to be had there for weaTiag it» Tempted by the report,
or more probably by a desire of seeing the eonatry, Tannahill left Paisley for
England, accompanied by a younger brother. Tbsiy went away without inform,
ing their parents, who, they rightly supposed, would hare put a stop to the
journey, as their dveumsUnces in Fkisley were too oemfisitable to justify a
change. Tliey were both at this time hi the strength and bue yaaey of yonth ;
they wen both also of industrious hahit% of excellent di^ositiena, asiA of modest
manneiii They travelled mostly en foot, often steppnif eat of the way t» view
the carioeitiea of the eooatry, Witil they reached Prest o n, w4idi they had
marked as the limit of their jommey. They fond, however, that nothing bnt
plain work was woven there ; and while Robert went forward to Bokon, to !»•
quire after figured wodk, his brother took lodgings at Preston, in the house of
an oM woman of the Roman catholie penuasion. At BoUob, Robert found

A It disturbs tho flmcy to know, tIttt,ak]ioiigh TamiahiU wrote aU his tovMosfi nadsr the
inspiiation of some perUcuIar object, in this case the giri was neither a Jewle, nor was she
from Dumblane. Tho words were originally written to supplant the old doggerel song,
« Bob o' DumbIane,"->henoe the title. Tannahill never was hi Dumbbne,— never, indeed,
beyond the Forth,—- and knew no person belonging to DumUane; yet the auards of
coaches, and otheis, hesitate not to point out the veiy luNiae in Dumblane in wmch Jeada

waabom.

EOBBET TANNAHILL, 88S

^plenty of employment of the deiired detcrlptum : but. his brothec, notwith*
standing the superior wages to be made there, reauuned at Preston all the time
lie resided in £nglandy being constrained to do so by the kindziess of his old
landlady, in whom he found a second mother. The two btotbeny though thus
separated, did not forget eadi other. Being mudi attached, they frequently
met half-way between Preston and Bolton, and spent a few horns together :
they also frequently wrote home to their parents an account of their welfare.
Their stay in England lasted two years, and was only cut short by receiving
intelligence of the fatal illness of their father. They hurried home without
delay, and arrived in time to receive his dying blessing. After tliat event, they
did not choose to return to Ei^land. The younger brother married, while
Robert took up his abode with hie mothMr, and tall his death contittued to be a
comfort to her. His filial afiectioas were at all times strong, and through life
he honourably dischaiged the duties of an afieotionate son.

It may be proper here to advert to a very emmeeus impression which prevails
respecting hie worldly circumstances. In meet of the notiees taken of him, he
is represented as leading a life of privation, and as fulfilling all that is sup-
posed to be connected with the poet^ let in regard to penury. But so far from
this being the case^ his means were always above his wants. The house in
which his mother resided was her own, and she was not only heneif comfortably
situated, but was enabled, by indulgii^ in little ohacities, to add eomewhst to
the comforts 4^ others. Such, also, was the state of tnde at the time, that
Robert could command good wages without ezboeme labour, and though more
than oBie reepectable situation, as foeeman or oveneer, was offered him, he
chose to continue at the loom, because, by doing so, his time wos more at his
own disposal, and his personal independence greatof; He had no wish to ac-
cumolato money ; bnt long before his death, he lodged twenty pennds in the
bank^ with the express intontian that it should go to defray the expense of his
funeral, and this sum was found untoudied when his melancholy decease took
place, a dvcamstaace which of ilMlf proves tiie nnfbunded nature of the reports
regarding his poverty and destitution.

Soon after his return from England, he had the good fertone to become ac-
quainted with the late Mr R. A. SaMth, a gentleman of distinguished talent as a
composer, who set to music and arranged sense of his finest songs. He also
formed an intimacy with several oilier individuab possessed of good judgment
in musical matters, saoh as, Mr James Barr of iOlbarchan (composer of the
tone of * Oraigielee,') S& Andrew Bhukie, engvaver. Paisley, and Mr James
Clark, master of the Aigyle Band. These gentlemen, and several others, were
of service to him in improving hn taste for composition, and in encouraging
him in his love of song. His own mannen were so retiring, and his reliance
on himself so small, that, without the assurances of firiendship, he probably would
never have been induced to give to the wcnrld many of those pieces which have
made his name known.

The first edition of his ^' Poems and Songs " appeared in the year 1 607. It
was very fiivourably received by the public, the previous popularity of several
of his songs tending to make it aonght after. But the author speedily came to
regret that he had so prematurely given it to the worid. Errors and faults he
now detected in it, which had before escaped him, and he began assiduously to
correct and re-write all his pieces, with a riew to a second edition. He con-
tinued also to add to the number ^ his songs, and in these reached a high de-
gree of excellence. Some of them, indeed, may be pronounced to be the very
perfection of song-writing, so far as that consists in the simple and natural ex-
pression of feelings common to all. The extensive popularity which they at-

taio«d indicfttM how unirenally wen felt and underatood Uie lentimenU whicli
they recorded. It if gratifying to know, that the poet was in tome measure a
witness of bis o«vn suooess^ and lived to hear his songs sung with approbation
both in hall and cottage. In a solitary walk, on one occasion, his musings
were interrupted by the voioe of a country girl iu an adjoining field , who was
singing by hemlf a song of his own—

*( We*II meet beside the dusky glen, on }on buniside*/' —

and he used to say, that ht was more pleased at this eTidence of his popularity
than at any tribute which had ever been paid him.

But his celebrity as a song writer brought its annoyances. Visitors of erery
description broke in upon his daily laboun ; an adjournment to the tarem mis
often tlie result, and acquaintanceships were formed too frequently over tlie
bowi." Tannahill at no time was addicted to liquor, but the facility of hia
nature prevented him from resisting the intrusions of idle and curious people,
and the very character of the pieces for which he was distinguished led to con-
vivialities, for bow could the merits of a song be tested without the flowing glass ?
1 his was the more to be pitied, as the slightest irregularity injured him. Hie
constitution was never strong. His fiUher, his sister, and three brothen had al^
died of consumption, and he himself was often troubled with a pain in the chest,
which was increased by woiking too hard. For some time before his lamenta-
ble end, he was observed frequently to fall into a deep melancholy. His tern*
per became irritable, he was easily agitated, and prone to imagine that his best
friends were disposed to injure him. His eyes were observed to sink, hie
countenance got pale, and hu body emaciated. His whole appearance, in short,
indicated o breaking up of his mental and bodily powers. The second edidon
of his Poems, which he had prepared for the press, was oilered about this time
to Mr Constable of Edinburgh for a very smaU sum, but was unfortunately de-
clined. Tliis tended still farther to depress him, and he came to the resolution
of destroying everything which he had imtten. All his songs, to the amount
of one hundred, many of which- had never been printed, and of those printed
all had been greatly corrected and amended, he put into the fire; and
so anxious wot he that no scrap of his should be preserved, he requested his
acquaintances to return any manuscript which they had ever got from him. Of
the immediate drcumstanoes connected with his death, we have received the
following account The day previous to that event, he went to Glasgow, and
displayed there such unequivocal proofs of mental derangement, that one of hie
friends, upon whom he called, felt it necesiary to convoy him back all the way
to Paisley, and to apprize his relations of the state of his mind. Alarmed at
the intelligence, his brothen, who were married, and resided at difierent parte
of the town, hastened to their mothei^s house, where they found that he had
gone to bed, and as it was now late, and he was apparently asleep, they did not
choose to disturb him, hoping that by the morning he would be better. About
an hour after leaving the house, one of the brodiera had occasion to pass the
door, and was surprised to find the gate that led to it open. On further inves-
tigation, it was found that Robert had risen from bed, and stolen out, shortly
after their departure. Search was now mode in every direction, and by the

SAn exception must here be made in fiivour of Mr James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd,
who, much to his own credit, and the credit of Tannahill, made a pilgrimaae to Paistey,
with the express purpose of seeing him. They spent one happy night together, and, waX
morning, Tannahill convoyed him half-way on the road to Gla^ow. On parting, Tomia-
hill, with tears in his eyes, said, *< Farewell ! we shall never meet again! FareweUl I shall
never seo }ou mere I" a prediction which was too truly veriAed.

JAMBS TAYLOR.

8G5

grey of the morning, the worst fears of the poet's friends irere realized, hy the
disGOTery of his coat lying at the side of a pool in the Ticinity of Pauley,
trluch pointed out trhere his hody was to be found. This melancholy event hap-
pened on the 17th of May, 1810, when he had only reached his thirty .sixth year.

Tannahiirs appearance was not indicatire of superior endowment. He was
small in stature, and in manners diffident almost to bashfnlness. In mixed
company he seldom joined in general conyersation, yet from the interest he
manifested in all that was said, his silence was neyer offensive. Among intimate
friends he was open and communicative, and often expressed himself with
felicity. His sympathies invariably went with the poor and unfortunate, and per-
haps it was the result of his education and position in society, that he was
jealous of the attentions of the wealthy, and disposed rather to avoid than to
court their company. In his disposition he was tender and humane, and ex-
tremely attached to his home, his kindred, and his friends. His lifo was simple
and unvaried in its details, but even the uneventful character of his existenco
renders more striking and more affecting its tragic dose. In 1838 an enlarged
edition of his poems and songs, with memoirs of the author and of his friend,
Hobert Archibald Smith, by Mr Philip A. ILimsay, was published in Glasgow.

TAYLOR, Jahes, whose name must ever bear a conspicuous and honourable
place in the history of the invention of steam navigation, was born. May 3,
17()8, at the village of Xjeadhills, in Lanarkshire, and received the rudiments of
his education at the academy of Closeburn. After fitting himself to enter the
medical profession, he was engaged, in the year 1785, by Mr Patrick Miller
of Dalswinton, to superintend the education of the two sons of that gentleman,
who were in attendance at the university of Edinburgh. lb was also the aim
of Mr Miller, that Mr Taylor, whose scientific acqairements had been warmly
spoken of by the common friend who recommended him to the situation, should
assist him in those mechanical pursuits with which for some years he had been
in the habit of amusing his leisure hours. In the year just mentioned, Mr Miller
was engaged in a series of operations for applying paddle-wheels to vessels,
rather with a view to extricating them from perilous situations against the im*
pulse of wind and tide, than with any expectation that such machinery, driven,
as he contemplated it to be, by human power alone, could be of use in ordinary
navigation. Mr Taylor entered at once into Mr Miller*s views, and aided in the
preparation of a double vessel, of sixty feet in length, with intermediate paddles^
driven by a capstan, which Mr Miller tried in the Firth of Forth, in spring, 1787,
against a custom-house wherry, which it easily distanced. On this occasion Mr
Taylor became convinced of the utility of the paddles ; but, observing that the
men were much exhausted by their labour, he was equally convinced that a
superior mechanical power was wanting, in order to realise the full value of the
invention. Having communicated his thoughts to Mr Miller, he received from
that gentleman the following answer : — *' I am of the same opinion, and that
power is just what I am in search of. My object is to add mechanical aid to the
natural power of the wind, to enable vessels to avoid and to extricate themselves
from dangerous situations, which they cannot do on their present construction.'*
Invited to co-operate in this object, Mr Taylor applied himself to the considera-
tion of all the mechanical powers already in common use, but without being able
to convince himself of the applicability of any of them. At length the steam-
engine presented itself to him ; and though he might be naturally supposed ta
have been himself startled at the boldness of such a thought, he soon convinced
himself of its being practicable. On suggesting it to Mr Miller, he found he had
excited more astonishment at the novelty, than respect for the feasibility of the
ftcheme. Mr Miller allowed the sufficiency of the power; but was disposed to

366 JAMES TATLOB.

duty thai U oould be applied, mora purtioiihily ia thoM oriticd
to obriate iffaidi was Uie diief aim of hU own projoet. '* la widi caMi,* wmA
ho, '< M tint ditastMiM orent whidi happoaed lately, of tbe wredc of a wIk^Io
floet upon a leo ahore, off the coast of Span, every fire on board amat be ex-
iinguiahed, and of ooufoe oooh an engine oould be of. no uae.** Mx Taylor wai
not daunted by tkeae oibjectioni» but, on Ae eontmry^ the mere Im theogiit of
the project, the oMnre connnoed he became of ita pfBctkaibUity. He repre-
sented to Mr BUller, that, if not applicable to parpoeaa of general narigaftion^
it might at least prove nsefid on canals and estiioriea. After auuiy convene
tions, the latter gentleman at lengdi oenoeded ao tar to Mr Taylor*a eu gge at i on,
aa to reqoeit him to make drawinga, lor the pwpeee of showing how the engine
could be eonnected with the paddle-wheela. BIr Taylor did second Mr MHler,
being atill ftrther satisfied, though as yet, it appealer unconvinced, agreed to be
at the expenae of an experiment, provided it aheuld not amount to a hurge aom,
and that Mr Taylor should attperintend the opeeatjona, as he candidly conftssed
be was a stranger to the use of ateam. The two projeoton were then at
Dakwinton ; but it was arranged that, when they ahouM return to Edinbogh
in the early part of winter, an engine should be censlnioled te the purpose.
Part of Uie sumnser was employed by BIr Miller in drawing up a narrative of
his experiments upon flipping, with a view to its being printed and cufvulated.
This he submitted to Mr Taylor for the benefit of his correction ; and the latter
gentleman, o b serving that no mention had been made of the application of the
steam engine, " I have not done that inadvertently," answered Mr Miller, » but
from a wish not to ^edge myself to the public for a thing I nmy never per-
form : you know my intentiona on that aubject are aa yet conditionaL" Mr Taylor
replied, that he oould hardly look upon them in that Mgfat, as he was satisfied
that any expense which could attach to oe small a matter woidd net prevent him
(Mr Miller) from making the experiment ; that he oonaidered the mention ef
the steam engine aa of importance ; and Umt it could be alluded to in such a
manner aa to pledge him to nothing. Mr Miller waa convinced, and introduced
an allusion to stsnm, as an agent he might perhapa empby for the propidsion of
his vemelSi C^es of the paper thus improved were transmitted to the royal
family, the ministem, many of the leading raenrf>ea of both houaea of parlia-
ment, and te all the maritime powers in Europe, besidee the president of the
United Statm of America.

In November, 1787, Mr Miller renwved as usual to the capital, and Mr
TViylor, having been eaipowered by his employer to p ro oeed about the con-
struction of on engine, recommended to Mr MilWs notice a young asan named
Symington, who had attempted aoBM akerations upon the ateam engine, and
was now residing in Edinburgh for his improvement in medumics. It
was agreed tiiat Symington should form an engine on Itis own plan, and that
the experiment should be made in the ensuing summer upon the lake of
Dalswinton. The construction of the engine occupied several mondis, and waa
not completed at the conclusion of that aession of the university ; ao that BIr
Taylor was detained in town^ to superintend the operations, for aome time after
hit pupils had returned with their father to the country. When all wos iwady,
he proceeded with Symington to Dalswinton, where, on the 14lh of October,
1788, the experiment was anode in the presence of BIr Miller and a con-
siderable concourse of spectoton. The boat was a double one, and the engine,
which had a four indi cylinder, waa placed in a irame upon the deck. The
experiment was successful beyond the most aanguine wishes of any of the parties
concerned. The vessel moved at the rate of A^ miles an hour, and neither
was any awkwardness found in the connexion of the engine with the wheeb^

JAMES TATLOR. S67

nor btsffd apprehended in any caniiderable degree from the inirodaotion of
a fiiraaoe into lo inflammable a fabria The experiment was repeated seTeral
times during the oomnM of the few ensoing daya^ and alwaye with perfect roe-
eeoB^ insomoch that the invention became a subject of great local notoriety.
An acoemt of the experiments^ drawn np by Mr Taylor, was inserted in the
Dumfries Journal newspaper, and the erent was also noticed in the Scots Maga*
sine of the ensving month*

Mr Miller now famed the design of coTcxlng his own and Mr Taylor's joint
inTSBtion by a patent; bnty in the first place, it was judged expedient that ex-
peiiments should be made with a vessel and engine more neariy approaching
the common siae. For this purpose Mr Taylor went to the Carron foundry,
with his engineer, Symington, and there, k the summer of 1789, fitted np a
vessel of oonsidenible dimensions, with an engine, of wMch the cylinder measured
eighteen inches in diameter. In the mmith of November this was placed on
the Forth and Clyde canal, in the presence of the Carron Committee of Manage-
ment, and of the parties chiefly interested. The vessel moved along very
smoothly for a space beyond Lock Sixteen, when, on giving the engine fall play,
the flat boards of the paddles^ which had been weakly constructed, began to
give way, which put an end to the experiment. The paddles having been re-
constmoted en a stronger prtneiple, another experiment was made on the 26 th
of December, when the vessel made easy and uninterrupted progress, at the rate
of seven miles an beur. Except in speed, the performances on these occasions
were as perfect as any which have since been accomplished by steam-vessels.
The project was now conceived, by all parties, to have gone through a sufficient
probation, so liur as the objects of inland navigation were concerned; and in an
account of the latter experiments^ drawn up by Mr (afterwards lord) Cullen,
and published in the Ediabnrgh newspapers, February 1790, this view is firmly
taken*

On reviewing the expenses of these proceedings, Mr MUler found conmderable
caose of chagrin in their amount, which, chiefly in consequence, as he said, of
the extravaganoe of the engineer, greatly exceeded what he had been led to
expect. Subsequently he devoted his attention and means to agricultnrol im-
provements; and Mr Taylor could never prevail on him to resume their project.
The cultivation of florine grass at last took such hold of the mind of Mr Miller,
that, in the belief of Mr Taylor, no other object on earth could have withdrawn
him from it* Mr Fergusson, younger of Craigdarroch, in 1790, endeavoured^
but in vain,, to engage the interest of the court of Vienna in the new invention.

The indifferenee of Mr Miller, the direction of public attention to the war
whieh soon after commenced, and the unfaTOurable situation of Mr Taylor, in
an inland part of the country, and unable of himself to do anything, conspired
to throw the project for several years into abeyance. At length, in 1801, Mr
Symington^ who had commenced business at Falkirk, resolved to prosecute a
design, in the orq^iastlon of which he had borne an active and serviceable,
though subordinate part. He wished lord Dundas to employ him to fit up a
small experimental steam-vessel, which was tried on the Forth and Clyde canal,
but, cauring much dbintegration of the banks, was forbidden by the Company
to bo ever set in motion again. This vessel was laid up at Lock Sixteen, where
it remsined for a number of years. Symington was afterwards in terms with
the duke of Bridgewater for intreduchig steam navigation on his grace's canal^
and Messrs Miller and Taylor were- about to take measures to protect their joint
inventfon from being appropriated by this individual, when the death of the
duke, and the abandonment of the scheme, saved them that trouble.

Some time after, Mr Fulton^ from the United States of Americai accompanied

388

THOMAS TELFORD.

by Mr Henry Bell of Glasgow, when on a Tisit to the Garron irorka, waitad
on Mr Symington, and inipected the boat which he had fitted up for the
Forth and Clyde canal The conaequence wai, that, in 1807, the former gen-
tleman launched a ateam Teiiel on the Hudaon, and, in I81S, Mr Bell another
upon Clyde, being reipectively the firtt Tewela of the kind used for the aerrice
of the public in the new and old hemiapheret. Thue, after all the primary dif-
ficulliei of the invention had been oreroome, — when the bark was ready, as it
were, to start from the shore, and waited only for the master to giro the word
for that purpose, — did two indiriduals, altogether alien to the project, come in
and appropriate the honour of launching it into the open sea. Unquestionably,
the merit of these individuals in overcoming many practical difficulties, is rery
considerable ; yet it is clear that they were indebted for the idea to the
previous inrentions and operations of Messrs Miller and Taylor, and tliat if the
latter gentlemen had, in the one instance, been inclined, and in the other able.
to carry their project into effect at the proper time, they would not have been
anticipated in this part of Uie honour, any more than in the suggestion of the
paddles and the engine.

It appears that Mr Taylor by no means sat tamely by, while Fulton and
Bell were reaping the credit due to their labours. Mr Taylor repeatedly urged
Mr Miller to renewed exertions, though always without succea; kept hia
claims as well as he could before the public eye ; and, on finding that Mr
Symington had obtained a patent, forced him into an agreement to share the
profits, none of which, however, were ever realised. When the vast impor-
unce of steam navigation had become fully established, the friends of Mr
Taylor, who was not in prosperous circumstances, urged upon him Uie
propriety of laying his claims before the government, and solidting a reward
suitable to the -magnitude and importance of the disoorery. At last, in 1834,
he was induced to draw up a statement of his concern in the iuTenUon of steam
navigation, which he printed and addressed to Sir Henry Pamell, chairman of
a select committee of the House of Commons, upon steam boats. He hoped
that this narrative might be the means of obtaining from the goremment some
remuneration for the incalculable services he had performed to mankind ; but
it had no sucli effect Bowed down by infirmities, and the fruits of a long life
of diiappointments, this ingenious man died on the L8th of September^ 1825,
in the sixty*eighth year of his age.

TELFORD, Thomas, an eminent engineer and constructor of public worics,
was bom about the year 1755. in tlie parish of Westerkiric in Dumfrieahire.
His outset in life was strikingly humble in comparison with its close. He
began the world as a working stone-mason in his native parish, and for a long
time was only remarkable for the neatness with which he cut the letters upon
those frail sepulchral memorials which ** teach the rustic moralist to die." His
occupation fortunately afforded a greater number of leisure house than what are
usually allowed by such laborious employments, and these young Telford turned
to the utmost advantage in his power. Having preriously acquired the elements
of learning, he spent all his spare time in poring over auch Tolumes as. fell
within his reach, with no better light in general than what was afforded by the
cottage fire. Under these circumstances the powers of his mind took a
direction not uncommon among rustic youths ; be became a noted rhmyster in
the homely style of Ramsay and FerguMon, and, while still a Tcry young man,
contributed venes to Ruddiman's Weekly Magasine, under the unpretending
signature of " Eakdale Tarn." In one of these compositions, which was ad.
dressed to Bums, he sketched his own character, and hinted his own ultimate
fate —

THOMAS TELFORD. 809

Nor pass the tcntie curious lad,
Who o'er the ingle hani^s his head,
And begs of neighbours books to rebd ;

For henoe arise,
Thy country's sons, vrho far are spread,

Bailh bold and wise.

Though Mr Telford afterwards abandooed the thriftless trade of rersifying, lio
is said to hare retained through life a strong ** frater-feeling " for the corps,
which he showed in a particular manner on the death of Bums, in exertions
for the benefit of his family. Haring proceeded to London in quest of work,
he had the good fortune to be employed under Sir William Chambers in the
building* of Somerset house. Here his merit was soon discovered by the illus-
trious architect, and he experienced promotion accordingly. We are unable to
detail the steps by which he subsequently placed himself at the head of the
profession of engineering ; but it is allowed on all hands that his elevation was
owing solely to his consummate ability and perBerering industry, unless we are
to allow a share in the process to the singular candour and integrity which
marked every step in his career. His works are so numerous all over the
island^ that there is hardly a county in England, Wales, or Scotland, in which
they may not be pointed out. The Menai and Conway bridges, the Caledonia ii
canal, the St Katharine's docks, the Holyhead roads and bridges, the Highland
roads and bridges, the Chirke and Pontcysulto aqueducts, the canals in Salop,
and great works in that county, of which he was surveyor for more than half a
century, are some of the traits of his genius which occur to us, and which will
immortalize the name of Thomas Telford.

The. Menai bridge will probably be regarded by the public as the most im-
perishable monument of Mr Telford^s fame. This bridge over the Bangor
ferry, connecting the counties of Caernarvon and Anglesea, partly of stone and
partly of iron, on the suspension principle, consists of seven stone arches, ex-
ceeding in magnitude every work of the kind in the world. They connect the
land with the two main piers, which rise fifty- three feet above the level of the
road, over the top of which the chains are suspended, each chain being 1714
feet from the fastenings in the rock. The first three-masted vessel passed
under the bridge in 1836. Her topmasts were nearly as high as a frigate, but
they cleared twelve feet and a half below the centre of the roadway, llie sus-
pending power of the chains was calculated at 3016 tons. The total weight of
each chain, 131 tons.

The Caledonian canal is another of Mr Telford^s splendid works, in con-
structing every part of which, though prodigious difficulties were to be sur.
mounted, he was successful. But even this great work does not redound so
much to his credit as the roads throughout the same district. That from Inver-
ness to the county of Sutherland, and through Caithness, -made not only, so far
as respects its construction, but its direction, under Mr Telford's orders, is supe-
rior in point of line and smoothness, to any pari of the road of equal conti-
nuous length between London and Inverness. This is a remarkable fact, whicli,
from the great difficulties he had to overcome in passing through a rugged, hilly,
and mountainona dlstriety inoontrovertlbly establishes his great skill in the
eDgineering department, as well as in the construction of great public communi-
cations.

Mr Telford was not more remarkable for his great professional abiliTies than
for his sterling worth in private life. His easiness of access, and the playful-
ness of his disposition, even to the close of life, endeared him to a numerous
Gurde of friends, including all the most distinguished men of his time. For

370

/INDREW THOMSON. D.D.

Bomo yean before bis dcatb, he bad withdrawn himself iu a great measure firom
professional employment, and amused his leisure by writing a detailed account of
the principal works be bad planned, and lired to see executed. He died Sep-
tember 9, 1834^ in his seT«nty-ninth year, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

THOMSON, AM>iiBw, D. D., an eminent modem dirine, and leader in the
national church courts, was bom at Sanquhar^ in Dumfries-shire, July U, 1779.
His father, Dr John Thomson, was originally minister of Sanquhar, afterwards
of Markinch in Fife, and lastly one of the ministers of Edinburgh. In early
life, the subject of this memoir exhibited no indications of those ungular talents
which afterwards distinguished him ; and be ^vas sereral years at college before
he discoTered any prelection for that profession of which he wu destined to
become so great an ornament, or felt the influence of that spirit which is so
necessary for its effectual exercise. The precise period when he first turned
his attention to the ministry, is not knoim ; but, in 1803, he was licensed to
preach the gospel by the presbytery of Kelso ; and, on the 1 1th of March of
the same year, was ordained minister of the parish of Sprouston : shortly after
which he married, and, by a happy union, added greatly to his felicity.

Though Dr Thomson^s earlier years presented no indications of those power-
ful talents which raised him, in more advanced life, to a high plaoe amongst
the eminent men of his country and time, he had not long ascended the pulpit
before these talents became conspicuous. During his ministry at Sprouston, he
nas distinguished by that unbending integrity of character, that seal in the
sacred cause to which he had deroted his life, and that Tigorous eloquence
itbich procured him so high a reputation in the elerated sphere in which he
was afterwards placed. Dr Thomson now, also, began to take an actire part
in the business of the church courts, of which he was a member ; and further
aided the interests of religion, by publishing a catechism on the Lord's Supper,
which subsequently passed tlirough many editions, and has prored enunently
beneficial and useful.

In 1808, Dr Thomson was removed to the East church of Perth, where he
laboured, assiduously and successfully, till the spring of 1810, when he reoeired
n presentation from the magistrates and council of Edinburgh to the New Grey
Friars* church in that city. He was now in a situation, where his singular ta*
lonts could be fully appreciated, and where they had a field wide enough for
their exercise: of these advantages he did not fail to avail himseUl He applied
himself to the discharge of his sacred duties with redoubled ardour, and with a
vigour and activity both of body and mind, that at once procured him an extraoF-
dinary sliai*e of public admiration. His powerful eloquence and fearless charao-
tor, pointed him out as no ordinary man, and made an impression on the public
mind, which has but few parallels in the history of ministerial labours. Inde*
fatigable and sealous, in a singular degree, he left no hour unemployed, and no
means untried, to forward the good work in which he was engaged. He la-
boured incessantly ; and such was the vigour and grasp of his comprehensive
mind, and the venatility, as well as brilliancy of his talenta, that lie could, at
one and the same time, bring the most various and wholly diff*erent means, to
bear upon the one great end which he had in view, the spiritual and iempoial
happiness of mankind. To the diacussioD of every variety of subject within the
sphere of his calling, he came alike prepared, and on each sbed the strong light
of his powerful intellect, exciting the admiration of all who heard him, by hit
manly eloquence, and convincing moat, it is to be hoped, by the fecce of his
reasonii^

Among the other means Co which Dr Thomson luid reooone to praesote tlie
interesU of religion, was the publication of a periodical work, entitled "* The

i 1

il I

ANDREW THOMSON, DJ).

371

Giristiaii Instructor.*' This work he commenced, with tlie assistance of several
of his clerical brethren, a few months after his settlement in Edinburgh ; and
for many years he discharged the duties of its editor, besides contributing largely
to the work itself. It is almost unnecessary to add, after what has been said of
Dr Thomson, that the '' Christian Instructor" is a work of singular merit, and,
altogether, perhaps, one of the ablest of the kind whidi tlie cause of Qiristianity
has produced.

Dr Thomson^ literary labours were not, however, confined at this period to
the '^ Christian Instructor." He contributed, besides, many raluable articles to
the Edinburgh Encyclopasdia ; all of which are distinguished by that nerrous
style and accuracy of conception, which so peculiarly belonged to -their author.
The extraordinary merits of Dr Thomson had early forced themselves on the
public notice ; but they were now become so obrious and incontestable, as to
engross a very large share of the public attention, and to form a subject of its
consideration. The result of this general feeling was, hit appointment to St
George^s church, which took place on the I6th of June, 1814; one of the most
important aqd dignified diorges in the church of Scotland. In this conspicuous
sitoation, he rapidly extended his reputation, and increamd the ramiber of his
friends; and, ultimately, acquired an influence over his congregation, composed
of the most influential persons in the metropolis, which few preachera have ever
enjoyed. Prerionsly to his appointment to St Cieorge's, Dr Thomson had not
been lo the habit of writing out his diaooursei. He trusted to the natural
promptness with which his ideas presented and arranged themselres, and to tlie
remarkable fluency of expression with which he was gifted ; and these did not
fail him: but he now thought it adrisable, as he was to prBacii to a mere refined
class of persons, to secure more correctness for his diecourses, by committing
them to paper, before delivering fliem from the pulpit. And in the pursuance
of this resolution, he weekly composed and wrote two sermons, and this in the
midst of other avocations, which alone would have occupied all the time of any
man of less bodily and mental aetiYity than he was possessed of.

To the ordinary duties of the Sunday, Dr Thomson added the practice of
catechising the young persons of his congregation, devoting to this exercise the
interval between the forenoon and afternoon services. He also held week-day
meetings in the church, for the purpose of instructing in the principles of i*e-
ligLon, as they are taught in the Shorter Catechism ; and, to complete the sys-
tem of moral and religious culture, whidi his unwearying seal had planned out,
he instituted a week-day sdiool, for the benefit of those of his young parishioners
whose circumstances either prevented tlieir attending church, or rendered a
greater extent of tuition necessary than he could afibrd to bestow on Sunday.
But he did still more than merely institute this little seminary. He compiled
suitable books for the different classes it comprised, and crowned the good
work, by acting himself as their teacher, — as the teacher of the poorest and
humblest of his flock.

With all this devotion to the higher and more important duties of his sacred
ofiioe, Dr Thomson did not neglect* those of a minor character. Amongst
these, church music had an especial share of his attention. Together with his
other rare endowments, he possessed an exquisite ear and taste for music, and
not only introduced an improved psalmody into the Scottish church, but added
to it several eminently beautiful compositions of his own. Admirable as Dr
Thomson was in all his relations to his flodc, he was in none more so, tlian in
that of the personal friend, the soother of affliction, and the alleviator of domes-
tic misery. His private labours of this kind were very great, and eminently
successful. His presence never failed to excite a' new feeling of animation.

.^^i

372

ANDREW THOMSON, D.D.

nor his words to Inspire hope. To the sick and the bereftTod his Tisits wero
pecoliarlj acceptable; for his mannw and his lao^age irere klnd« and sootbiog'p
and condliaUog, In a remarkable degree: and, although these conld not alirays
lessen paun, they never missed of reeonelUng the sufferer to that which was
Inevitable*

Besides thnsfuthfalljr and laboriously disoharging the varloiis important duties
of his ofBoe, 0r Tliomson took an aetive part In all the ^urch judicatories of
which he was a member* In these, his singular talents and high character, as
as might be ezpeoted, always secured for him the first place, and at length ao-
qufared for him the distiaetion, conceded silently but spontaneously, of being con-
tidered the leader of the eTangelieal party in the church to which he had attached
Llmselfl Amongst the other oharaoterisUcs of that party, was a strong feeling
of hostility to the system of patronage; and to this feeling Dr Thomson gave
utterance In the General Assembly, on several occasions, in a strain of eloquence,
and with a power of reasoning, that will not soon be forgotten.

Although a lealous member of the ohureh of Scotland, and strongly attached
to her Instilntlons, Dr Thomson's liberal and enlightened mind kept him entirdy
aloof from anything approaching to bigotry. With dissenters of all descripdons
he maintained a friendly understanding. He made eveiy allowance for diffbr-
ence of opinion on points of comparatively Inferior importance; and, when he was
satisfied that a genuine spirit of Christianity existed, never allowed such differ-
ence of opbiion to disturb that harmony which he wisely and benevolently con.
ceived ought to exist between those who, after all, laboured la the same vine-
yard, and to obtain the same end.

Ever ready to lend his powerful aid to all rational schemes for promoting
the interests of religion and extending its sacred inilnence, be eagerly enrolled
himself amongst the supporters of the British and Foreign Bible Society ; and
while tliat society adhend to the principles which were laid down at iti institutiont
he continued to take a warm interest in Its aflUn, and laboured with tongue
and pen to secure success to its efforts. On the departure, however, of this
society from on^ of the leading conditions by which it was understood it should
be reguUited, namely, that the copies of the Bible which it issued, should be
purely scriptural, and unaccompa n ied by note or oonunent of any kind ; Dr
Thomson felt hlnyelf called upon, as a minister of the gospel, not only to with-
draw his support from It, but to oppose, by every means in his power, the con.
tinuance of a system so injurious to the best interests of religion. Into the
well known controversy which ensued, and which has been eslled " the Apo-
crypha Controversy ,** he entered with all his characteristic aeal ; and so eAeo-
tually employed his powerful UlenU during iU progress, that his enemiee,
whatever cause they may have found for rejoicing in the isnie, could find but
little in the circumstance of having provoked his resentment.

The last great public effort of Dr Thomson was In behalf of the slaies in onr
West India colonies; and, in the prosecution of this humane and philanthropic
work, he, on several occasions, made displays of oratory, which have been
seldom equalled, and still seldomer surpassed. He demanded immediate eman-
cipatiott, and supported this demand with an eloquence and power of rsasoniog,
which were altogether overpowering.

These mighty laboun, and unceasing exertions in the causes of religion and
philanthropy, were destined, however, to come to a premature termination.
Dr Thomson's constitution was naturally strong, and in person he was robivt
and athletic ; but unremitting study, and incesiant toil of both body and mind,
had their usual effects. His health was impaired; and for some time be*
fore his death, a secret sensation gave him warning that that event would take

JAMES THOMSON. 373

place loODy and suddenly. The fulfilment of tbii melancholy antScipalion
took place on the 9ih of Febniaty, 1631. On that day, he appeared in hia
usual health, and went tlirough the ordinary routine of business with his accus-
tomed actirity and energy, taking the same interest in ererything that came
under his consideration^ as he had been accustomed to do ; and altogether pre-'
senting nothing, in either manner or appearance, to indicate the near approach /
of that catastrophe which was to deprive religion and morality of one of their
ablest supports, and society of one of its brightest ornaments. Having com-
pleted the out-door business of the day, Dr Thomson returned home about five
o'clock in the afternoon, and while standing on the threshold of his own door^
just previous to his entering the house, he suddenly fell down, and expired
without a struggle or a groan. His remains were interred in St Cuthbert's
chuidi-yard ; and if anything were wanting to impreis those who have only
read or heard of him, with a full conception of the estimation in which he was
held by all ranks and denominations in the metropolis, it would be found in a
description of his funeral, — the most numerously attended, perhaps, that had
ever been witnessed in the Scottislt capitaL Dr Thomson^s literary labours ex-
hibit a long array of religious works of various descriptions, including lectures,
sermons, and addresses. To these there is to be added, a volume of posthu-
mous ^* Sermons and Sacramental Exhortations," publbhed in Edinburgh in tlie
same year in which he died ; with a memoir prefixed.

THOMSON, JiMBs, a celebrated poet, was bom, September 11, 1700, at
Ednam, near Kelso, of which pairish his father was minister. Beatrix Trotter,
the mother of the poet, was daughter and co-heiress of a small portion of land
at Foggo in Berwickshire, and is described as iuiving been a woman of '' a sin-
gular fervour of imagination," at the same time that she shone in the domestic
and social virtues. The difficulty with whicli his father supported his family,
having nine children^ occasioned his removal, - in the early diildhood of the
poet, to the parish of Southdean, in the presbytery of Jedburgh, where
the stipend, though not large, was somewhat better than that which he had en-
joyed at Ednam. The change was from a low and beautifully. ornamented part
of tlie country, and the dose neighbourhood of a considerable market town, to
an elevated pastoral district, enlivened only by the slender waters of the Jed,
and frequented by few except the lonely angler. In the church-yard of South-
dean, may yet be seen the humble monument of the father of the poet, with
the inscription almost obliterated. The manse in which that individual reared
his large family, of whom one was to become so illustrious, was what would now
be described as a small thatched cottage.^ The poet received the rudiments of
his education at the school of Jedburgh, and was not distinguished among his
youthful companions, by remarkable superiority of parts. He was still, however,
very young, when his talents for writing verses attracted the attention of sereral
respectable individuals in that part of the country. Mr Riccarton, minister of
the neighbouring parish of Hobkirk, and a man of taste and learning, observed
and encouraged this talent ; and young Thomson was occasionally invited, on
account of his promising abilities, to spend his vacations at the country seats of
Sir William Bennet of Chesters, Sir Gilbert Elliot of Minto, and lord Cranstoun.
He was so little pleased, hoii-ever, with the poetry he produced at this early
period, that on every new*year*8 day he burnt all tliat he had composed during
the foregoing year. At a proper age he was sent to the university of Edin-
burgh. According to tradition, a servant of his father conducted him to the
capital, seated behind himself on horseback ; but such was his reluctance to for-
sake Uie country, that he had no sooner been left to himself in the city, than
* Information by Mr Richmond, the present minister of Southdean.

374 JA.MES THOMSON.

hemt out on fool for home, and vis bade at his fiithar's manse (between fifty
and sixty miles distant) ng soon as the man and the horse. When hia parents
mnoRsUated with him fospecting this disobedient eooduet, he passionately ob-
served that ** he oonld atudy as well on the haugihs of Sea*den [so SitaUidenii is
commonly pronounced] as in Edinbargh."' He was, noTerthelem, preiwled
upon to oommonee a oonrse of study in £dinbaf]gh.

In the aeoond ysar of his attendance at the naifovsityy his stadies wore
inlemiptod by the sudden death of his father. He was suuMmnod hoom to «e-
odvo his parents dying bsnedictiony but came too late. This clrcanMUaoe
ccntributed to increase his sorrow, and his filial piety was expressed on this
mournful oeeasion in instances of conduct which his surnjring relattons afterwards
delighted to recollect

His mother now reaJiaed as much as she could ftom her own little inheri-
tance, asid remofod with her family to Edinburgh, in order to give them what
prnoas of her rank in Scotland generally eonsider as the best of all endow-
ments, a good education. James re-commenoed his studies, and with acme re-
Inotanoe was induced by liis friends to eater upon a course of divinity, with the
view of applying his talents to Ae church. After the usual nttsndance on tim
professor of theology, he delivered a probationary exercise in the hall ; htA his
diction was so poetically splendid, that the profeasor reprovad him far using lan-
guage unintelligible to a popular audience ; sihich eo disgusted hi m^ with hb
ttieological pursuits, that he seems to have, soon after this event, rssolred
to abandon them. He had already contributed to a poetical voloase, entitled
the Edinburgh Miscellany, which was compiled by a society of young aspirants
in' larse who were attending the college, and aaH>ng whom was DsWd Mallet.
Abeut the same time he acted as tutor to lord Binning, — the eon of the sixth earl
of Haddington, and himself a poet ; to whom he had probably been introduced
by his mothei^B friend, lady Griaiel Baillie, mother-in-law to hn lordship, and
vrhose ** Memoim ^ possen so much tender intersst ; who, finding him miUkely
to do well in any o&er pursuit, advised him to try hii fortune in London » a
poet, and promised him some countenance and assistance. AocerdiBgly, in the
a :tumn of 1725, he took leave of his mother, whom he was never more to he-
bold, and proceeded by sea to London, carrying with him little besides his poem
of ** Winter.'* On arriving in the metropolis, he found his way to his college
friend Mallet, who then acted as preceptor to the two sons of the duke of Mon-
trose ; he also sought out Mr Duncan Forbes, afterwards praaident of the court
of session, who, having conceived a favourable opinion of his talents in Scotkod, was
now disposed to promote his viewrby all means in his power. He was at fint in
oonsidemble difiicuUies for the means of subsistence, and ia found writing to nn
ancient friend of his family, the minister of Ancrum, for the loan of twelve
pounds, in order to pay oiTsome little d^ts he had contracted since his airiral
in the metropolis, and to procure necessaries, till he should raise some-
thing by the sale of his deceased mother's hinds of Whithopa. By the friendly
intervention of Mallet, a bookseller named Mllkr was induced to buy " Winter '
at a low price, and It was accordingly published in 1786, with a dedication to
Sir Spencer Compton, and several recommendatory Torses by his firiends.
Though unnoticed for some time, it gradually attained that estimation which it
has ever since maintained, and soon procured for the author the friendship of
all the men then distinguished in literaluie. His acquaintance was sought by
Dr Bundle, afternvrds bishop of Deny, ubo recommended him to tlte
lord chancellor Talbot In 1727, lie published anoUier of hia Seasona, " Sum-
mer,'* whidi he at first proposed dedicating to lord Binning, hot eventually
s The editor is oblij^ed for tliis curious aneodoto to Mr Riclmion'l.

JAMES THOMSON. 375

by the disinterested advice of that aoblenuuiy inicribed to Mr Dodingtoc, afies*
wards lord Meloombe, whom Binning thought likely to advance his interest.
The saoM year he gave to the public two more of his productions ; '< A Foem
Sacred to the Memory of Sir Isaac Newton," who died ia tliat year ; and
'' Britannia^" a poetical inTectire against the ministry, whom the nation then
thought not forward enough in resenting the depredations of the Spaniards.
His '< Spring,'* published in 1738, and addressed to tlie countess of Hertford,
afterwards duchess of Somerset, procured him an invitation to pass a summer
at lord Hertford's country-seat. The Seasons were not completed by the
addition of '* Autunm," till 1730, when he published his poems collectively.
Autumn was addressed to Mr Onslow.

In the same year, h« brought upon the stage, at Drury Lane, bis tragedy of
Sophonisba, which raised such expectation, that every rehearsal tvos dignified
with a splendid audience, collected lo anticipate the delight that was preparing
for the public; It was observed, however, that nobody was a&cted, and that
tlie company rose as from a moral lecture. It was one of tha many proofs that
dramatic genius is a very different thing from the power of putting in dialogue
line sentiment and poetical description. Not long afterwards, the recommenda-
tion of Dr Bundle caused him to be selected as the travelling associate of the
honourable Mr Talbot, eldest son of the chancellor, with whom he visited most
of the courts and cenntries of the European continent Such an opportunity
could Bot fail to be a source of much improvonent to one, whose mind was well
prepared for the observation of the different ftirms of society, and appearances
in external nature. The idea of his poem oa Liberty suggested itself to him
during this toar, and after his return he employed nearly two years ia its com-
pletion. He was now enabled to pursue his studies at leisure, having been re-
munerated for hia attfiadanee oa Mr Talbot, by the place of secretary of tlie
briefs, which was nearly a sinecure. . His poem *^ Liberty " at length appeared,
being inscribed to Frederick, prince of Wales, and opening with an afleotionate
Uibute to the memory of Mr Talbot, who had died during his jouraey with the
poet Thonnon eoagratukted himsrif upon thiS'WOrk as the noblest effort of
his mind ; but it was received with coldasss by the public, and has never been
so generally read as the resi of his compositioos» In reality, a long historical
piece ia blaalc vene, the iaddents of which were taksn from eommoa reading,
was not very likely to prove attractive^.

The lord chancellor soon afler died, and, Thon»en having neglected to ap*
ply for a renewal of his pUuw, it was bestowed by the succeeding judge, lord
Hardwicke, upon another. The poet was, therefisee, seduced once more to a
dependence on his talent* for support It is creditable to him, that, while in
this painfiil situation, he showed, in his letters to a frieod ia Edinburgh, an
afibctionate anxiety to assist the narrow circunistanees of his sisters, Jean and
Eliiabeth, who then lived with Mr Gusthart, one of the ministers of the city.
He was introduced, about this tune, by Mr (afterwards lord) Littleton, to tlie
prince of Wales ; and, being questioned as to the stale of kus af&irs, he an^
severed, " that they were in a more poetical posture than formerly -J* which
induced the prince to bestow upon him a pension of one hundred peands a-
year.

In 1738, his second tragedy, entitled ** Aganemaoa,'' was brought upon the
stage at Drury Lane. Fope, who had favoured the author, when in Italy, with
a poetical epistle, countenanced the performance on the first night by his pre-
sence ; and was received In the house with a general clap. It had the fate of
most mythidegical pieces^ and was only endured, not favoured. The reception
it met with, is said to have tlirown the author into such a copious perspiration,

876

JAMES THOMSON.

that he found it neoMsary to diange tils irig, before he could join a party of
fHends at eupper. Another tragedy, ivhich he offered to the theatre, irst
'^* Edward and Eleonora ;** but it was prerented from appearing by the lord
chamberlain, on account of iU political complexion. In 1740, he wrote, in
conjunction with Mallet, the ** Maaque of Alfred,** which wai performed before
the prince of Walei, at Cliefden Houie, on the birth-day of the prinoen Au-
gusU. In this piece was introduced the song, '' Rule Britannia,** whidi has
erer since maintained so high a popularity. It is understood to be the com-
position of Thomson.'

Tt)e most successful of his dramatic compositions, ** Tancred and Sigis-
munda,** was brought out at Drury Lane, in 1745 : it is still occasionally acted.
His poem, entitled '* The Castle of Indolence,*' which had been sereral years
under his polishing hand, and which is perhaps the most perfect and pleasing
of all his compositions, was published in 1746. His friend, lord LytUeton, was
now in power, and procured him the place of surreyor-general of the Leeward
Islands ; from which, when hit deputy was paid, he receired about three hun-
dred pounds a-year. He did not lire long to enjoy this state of comparatire
independence. He was in the habit of walking from London to his house at
Richmond, for the sake of exercise. One erening, after be had proceeded a
certain distance, being fearful that he would be too late, he took a boat for tlie
remainder of the way, not obserring that the dews of the evening, and the cold
air of the rirer, were dangerous to a person whooe pores were opened by the
penpiration of a hasty widk. The cold whidi he caught on this occasion, ter«
niinated in a ferer, which carried him off*, August 37, 1748, when he had
nearly completed the forty-eighth year of bis age. He was buried under a plain
stone in Richmond churdi, where the earl of Buchan, forty years afterwards,
erected a tablet to his memory. A monument, howerer, had been raised to
him nt an earlier period in Westminster Abbey. The poet left a tragedy, en-
titled ** Goriobnus,*' which was brought upon the stage at Covent Garden, in
1749, and realised a considerable sum for the benefit of his relatione.

It is as a descriptive poet 4hat Thomson has gained a permanent Ctme ; for
all his compositions, except of that kind, bare sunk into compaxatiTe neglecL
His " Seasons" has now kept Its place amongst the poetical daasics of England,
for upwards of aMntury; and still there is no perceptible iondency to dedine in
its popularity. In reference to this poem, Dr Johnson has wTitten as follows ;
and no further criticism seems to be necessary : — *^ As a writer, Thomson is
entitled to one praise of the highest kind, — ^his mode of thinking, and of ex-
pressing his thoughts, is original His blank verse is no more the blank rerae
of Milton, or of any other poet, than the rhymes of Prior are the rhymes of
Cowley. His numben, his pauses, his diction, are of his own growth, without
transcription, without imitation. He thinks in a peculiar train, and he alwaya
thinks as a man of genius : he looks round on nature, and on life, with the eye
whidi nature only bestows on a poet, the eye that distinguishes, in every thing
presented to its view, whatever there is on which Imaginaticm can delight to be
detained, and with a mind that at once oompreliends the vast, and attends to
the minute. The reader of the * Seasons,* wonders that he never saw before
what Thomson shows him, and that he never yet felt what Thomson impresses.
His deacrlptions of extended scenes, and general effects, bring before us the
nhole magnificence of nature, whether pleasing or dreadful The gaiety of

> It Appears from the letters published by the earl of Bucban, that Thomson at this Umo
ret)tcd a house at the upper end of Kew Lajie ; and that the Amanda whom he so fro-
quonily celebrated in his verses, was a Mis Young, sister of Mrs Robertson, wife of the sur-
geon to the household at Kew.

. JAMES THOMSON.

377

^pni'ffy the iplendour of Summery the tranquillity of Autumn, and the horrovt
of Winter, take, in their turns, poiseition of the mind. The poet leadt lit
through the appearances of things, as they are successively raried by the Ticis-
situdes of the year ; and imparts to us to much of his own enthusiasm, that our
thoughts expand with his imagery, and kindle with his sentiments. Nor is the
naturalist without his share in the entertainment ; for he is anisted to recollect
and to combine, to arrange his discoreries^ and to amplify the sphere of bis
contemplation."

'* Thomson,*' says Dr Aikin, '* was in person large and ungainly, with a
heavy unanimated countenance, and nothing in hia appearance or manner in
mixed society indicating the man of genius or refinement. He was, honerer,
easy and cheerful with select friends, by whom he was singularly beloved for
the kindness of his heart, and his freedom from all the little malignant passions,
which too often debase the literary character. His benevolence is said to be
more ardent than active, for indolence was extremely prevalent in his nature ;
and though he would readily give to the utmost of his ability, he could not
overcome his reluctance to exert himself in doing services. He was fond of in-
dulgences of every kind, and was more attached to the grosser pleasures of
sense, than the sentimental delicacy of his writings would lead a reader to sup.
pose : but this is a common failing. No poet has deserved more praise for the
moral tenor of his works. Undoubted philanthropy, enlarged ideas of the dig-
nity of man, and of his rights ; love of virtue, public and private, and of a de-
votional apirit, narrowed hy no vieivs of sect or party, give soul to his verse,
'when not merely descriptive: and no one can rise from the perusal of his
pages, without melioration of his principles or feelings."

The remark here made as to the attachment of Thomson ** to the grosser
pleasures of sense," demands some comment The purity of his writings has
been celebrated by lord Lyttleton, and generally allowed by the world ; and,
excepting the above remaik, which is to be traced to the report of Savage to
Dr Johnson, and has not been generally credited, no charge has ever, till
lately, been laid against the private diameter of the poet

In a work lately published, under the title of ** Records of my Life,*' a
posthumous autobiography of Mr John Taylor, the author of the humorous
poem of ** Monsieur Tonson," a curious tale is related, on the authority of the
late Mr George Chalmers. '' Mr Chalmers," sayi Taylor, *' had heard that an
old housekeeper of Thomson's was alive, and still resided at Richmond. Hav-
ing determined to write a life of the celebrated poet of his country, he went to
Richmond, thinking it poutble he might obtain some account of the domestic
liabits of the poet, and other anecdotes which might impart interest and novelty
to hia narration. He found that the old housekeeper had a good memokry, and
was of a communicative turn. She informed him Thomson had been actually
married in early life, but that his wife had been taken by him merely for her
person, and was so little calculated to be introduced to his great friends, or in-
deed his friends in general, that he had kept her in a state of obscurity for
many years ; and when he at last, irom some compunctious feelings, required
her to come and live with him at Richmond, be still kept her in the same se-
cluded state, so that she appeared to be only one of the old domestics of the
family. At length his wife, experiencing little of the attention of a husband,
though otherwise provided with every thing that could make her easy, if not
comfortable, asked his permission to go for a few weeks to visit her own rela-
tions in the north. Thomson gave his consent, exacting a promise that she
would not reveal her real situation to any of his or her own family. She agreed;
but when she had advanced no farther on her journey than to London she was

IV. SD

378 DR. WILIIAM THOMSON.

titeve taken illy and in a Bbort time died. l%e news of lier death was immedi-
ately conrieyed to Tbomton^ irlio ordered a decent funer&l ; and she was bnriedy
ae the old bowekeeper eatd, in €he chnrcliyard of old liaryleboue chnroh. Mr
ChaliaerSy wlio was indefatigable in Ins inqmrieB, was not latisfied irilb tbe old
woman's information^ bnt imrnedtately went and examined Che cbnrcSi register ;
wbere be found the following entry— 'Bied, llorj Hiomson^ a stranger* — in
confirmation of tbe housekeeper's testhnonj."

There is little^ perhaps, in this story to inyalidate the commonly receired
notions as to the worth of Thomson's character ; though, allowing it to bo
tme, it certainly is BOt calccdated to elemte him m the estimation of the world.
Tlie preseot writer has, «f comve, no wish to degrade any of the eminent names
of the past ; bat fae thiiAis it worth while, by way of correcting a piece of lite-
nty history, to wentton that the Iste earl of Bochan possessed a poem in Thom-
aoa's 1iaad*wntiag, and bearing sill the erasares, interpolations, and other pe-
oidiarities, ikaX ooald mark the composition as his own, which displayed a
variBod degsee ef lioentionsnesB. He has, therefore, been satisfied that Thom-
son, though fae had iStn good vense to pnblish nothing of an fmpnre character,
was not incapable of delighting in gron ideas, and composing lines —

* • whid^ d;iog» he oould wish to blot."

TRO!tf601l, (Dft) VfjUMAM, an ingeniotn, rersatile, and maltrbrioiiB writer,
was bora fa 1746, in tho parish of Forteriot, hi Perthshire. His father, though
fa hvmMe, was in decent drenmstances, earning a liTelihood by uaiting tho
bosfaesaes of carpenter, bvilder, and fanner. Yonag l^onwon was histmctcd
fa tho first mdiments of edneatimi by his mother, and was tlien tent to tho
paraehial sobool. fio afterwards atteadod tbe gr am m a r - aehool of Perth, and on
laayfag it preoeeiod to fit Andrew^, wfaere his abilhies attracted the aofioe and
pr ocu re d hhn ike patronage of tbe Bar! of Xhmo«\, then cfamecAlorof the uni-
veiaity. Thb asaai fle eu t Dobloman, alter sotMyfog fafanelf, by peraonal enmi-
MBtioB, that yoang Theauta^i 1i^ repatatian as a danieal stellar was not ex-
aggerated, admitted bfai fato his fonSy fa the oapaeity of librarfaa, and shortly
after directed his rfawa to tha draroby wHh the fatestioa of pioa e nllji g hhn to
one •f tte Itvfags fa ids gift.

Mr Tfaonton p ra a cwit od hia theolq gi od^fU i dies, first at 8t Aodrawv, and then at
Bdinfangh, and, kaiffag Ql>tBimd a lioenaeto preach, waa appoMed assisfaot to the
ttiaistertiflfonifaiFd. ffafortvitttely aelfker his taatea nor faahfts accorded with
the elerical ealUng. His temper was IrMdble, and he d^hted more fa field
apOTts aad Jovial eeaspanieasfliip than fa the discfharge of his profossional dntiea.
Iteieeaqdafatsef tkepa>Mionenifadiioed1dmtoTes^hisGAoe,aad heresolTed
totryfab^ffartaBefaLondonasamaaofletters. IntUshewasatftrstfinr-frommic-
oeasfel. At length, through theinfldence of his distinguished fHend«,l>r8 K;obertsoii
sad Mdr, he waa ehwento eonifame ^Oie History of PfaSOp III. of fipmnyV work
iMgun by 9r Robert Watson, principal of the United CMleges of 9t Andrews^
but whM that geafOnBan left unfinished at liis dea A, whieh happened in I7B0.
Thb werk Dr Thomson cfl«|Aeted fa amamier Ughly creditable to hb talents^
aad so -a«eh to <he eatisfhctfaa Of the public, Aaft he eoon found himself
snroanded wMi frieads, and his hands filed wftk employment. The fi>rmer
Iffooue ed hfa i t^^Mt Miis period, whoSy vmrdicitefi en his Tpmti, the degree of
Uin. fima tbe uidfiusKy of Ola^gew. Dr Thomson now became a i^^lar
London sothor, befag ready to writo on any*sul3Jeot, and for any one wlio ehould
empley Us ^enatile tflflenls. HmfacM facreased apace upon him, and from
this ^peried till near the eloae of his Itfc^ t actoad fag to upwards «f "fire and thirty
yearsp3ie«»tiB«ied fa dose eonneetion wHh theprea^aBdwKh the exeeption

TVIXXIAM XUBNJSmi.. 379

of po€try^ went, in that tii]M»,GMdilAbIy Uimugit wery dapurtnant of English
Htenaure. Motbinf came awiie ia him.; hiBtory^ biogfophy, voyages^ tiaveli
and me«oir% nofela and venumoes, paraphlete and petiodicak. In all
of these he wrote laigely, and. wrote well. In his Mtemry labows he waa inde«
fatigable» Night and day he wnnighfe with unwearying pexM¥s«anoey and, by dini
of tills indusUy, associated wiih. a. remaikahla facility m composition, ha aonm-
pUshed, in the oouiae of hia life^ a gmater amount of lilacary work, ansl of a
greater ▼arlety of cfaaBOCtery than periiapa any English wiriter who praceded
him. Ammgpft the most important of hia avowed wovks ave, ** Tho Man in the
Moon,*' a BMrel; " Travels in Europe, Asia^ and AiJdca/' a eompilatioo. from
other works, published io 1783 ; a translation e^ " A History of Great Britain
from tho fievolution in 1688, to tha Aoeession of Geoige L in 1714/' from
the Latin of Guaaingham, 2 rolumes 4to, 1787; '^Memaia of Wav in
Asia," 1788 ; <' Mammoth, or Human Nature displatyed oil a Grand. Scato/
a noM 1789 ; '< Trarels in the Western Hebrides, horn 178» to 1790," from
notes by the B^m, John haam Buchanan, A^ISI., misnonary miniateE to the Isles
from the church of Scodaad, 1793. Dr Thoamon abo kigeiy assisted in a
work which appeaaed ab«ut this peckid, entitled,. " Tiasrela. into Norway, Den*
mark, and Russia," by A. Smiti^ £s^

Numerous aa this lisl is, it comprisee but a lerf smaU portion of our anlhoi's
iiientty achieTomenti, and gifos but a faint idea of the extent and laatety of his
hibouH.. He contxibuted largely, besides^ la Tarieua nawspapem, magansies,
and other periodical of the day. Ho ako* fie^juendy acted as a-veporter, aad
is laid to have greatly eaeeUed ia ihiadepartaMBt of lilenury labour. Foe many
years he published a weekly abridgment of poUtica ia the Wlutehali EToniag
Post, but kMt thia emploiymaiit in 1798, ia eeneequence of some political
traasgremions. In the latter yeaar of hia lllo, he was engaged in bvinging i^
the anmms of DoMey'k Aaaaal Begister, of which he compiled the historiciU
part from 1790 to 1800 iaelusivo. Ameogrt the bst of hie Utesmry perfiMnna-
anoes, (kuid it is a vemarkabk proof of the nuriety of hia attaiamaats,) was a week
entitled " jMemoias rehttra to Militavy Tactics," dedicated to hia royat higfa-
nem, the duka of York, commaiider4n-ehief of the fevoea. This wovk^ which
waa beg^n in 1805, aad finished- in the eneuiag year, was reckaaed ao tnoo»>
sideiablo additioB ta that depavtmeat of Iketatuaa to which it beleaga, aad im
said to have been looked upon with iiirour by thesa cempetent to judge of its
menti. Towardb Aa dose of his lift, I> Thomson wholly reeigaad to literary
laboais, aad retirsd to Keaiiagton, where ha died, ia decent, but net by aay
means aAimt dvcumstaaeet, .an the I6th of March, 1817, in the 71st year of
his age, leariag behind him a reputatiaa very far from beiag properftLoaed,
either to the exteirt of hia labouis, or to the aasouat of hie abifitaea aad a»>
quiramantiL

TUBNBULL, Waum, bishop of ^laigmr, aad hwd priry seal of Scatlaad;
descended from the TumbaUa of Minto, io Raabuqfffaslure, waa born in ^
early part of the ftfteenih eentary. Haviag been edacated for tha dHueh, ha
entered iata ordem^ aad was appelated prebend of Balaarick (coaaacted with
which dignity was the lordship of Pravaa) in tha year 1440. Ia the year
1445, ho was preferred ta be se cr et a r y aad keeper of the privy seal ; at which
time, as appears by tha act of council, he woa called William Tumbull, lord of
Prevan. He waa ritor^ after thia hiaagnnted Doctor of Law% and made
archdeacon of St Andrews, within the bounds of Lothian. By soniia writers, he
is said to hare been about this time bishop of Dnnkeld ; but this, we think, is
doubtful. Ia di^ year 1447, he was promoted to the see of Glasgow, upon the
death of bisiiop Binioa, aad was coaeecrated in the year 1448.

380 WILUAll TURNBXJLL.

No fooner wsb bishop TurnbuU letUed in Uio mo, than he let about eraotiDf
or founding a collage in the city. For this purpose, a bull, at the request of
king James IL, itas procured from pope Nicholas V., constituting a uniYorsity,
to continue in all time to come, in the city of Glasgow, " it being ane notable
place, with gude air, and plenty of proTisions for human life.'* The pope, by his
apostolical auihority, ordained that the doctors, masters, readers, and students of
the uniTonity of Glasgow, should enjoy ail the priTileges, liberties, honouia, ex-
emptions, and immunities, which he had granted to the city of Bononia. He like*
wise appointed William Tumbull, bishop of Glasgow, and his successors in that
see, chanoellon of the unirersi^, and to have the same authority over the doc-
tors, roasters, readers, and scholars, as the chancellors of the unirersity of
Bononia. This buU is dated at Rome, January 7, 1450. By the care of the
bishop and his chapter, a body of statutes ivas prepared, and a university esta-
blished the following year, 1451.

The university consisted, besides the chancellor, of a rector, and masters of
the four faculties, who had taken their degrees in other colleges ; and students,
who, after a course of study, might be promoted to academical degrees. That
the classes in the univettity miglit commence with some degree of' celebrity, a
bull had been procured from the pope, and was now published, granting an
universal indulgence to all &ithfui Christians, who should visit the cathedral of
Glasgow in the year- 1451. llie first rector was David Cadiow, who was re-
elected in 145S. During the first two yean, upi»«rds of a hundred members
were incorporated, most of them secular or regular deigy, canons, recton,
vican, abbots, priors, and monks. The clergy attended the univeisity the
more willingly, that the bishop had procured royal charten and acts of parlia-
ment, exempting them from all taxes and public burdens, and from their resi-
dence in their own cures. The whole incorporated raemben, students, as well
AS doctors and masten, were divided into four parts, called the Qiiaitior Na^
tioMs, according to the place of their nativity. The whole realm of Scotland
and the isles was divided into four districts, under the names of Clydesdale.
Teviotdale, Albany, and Rothsay ; a meeting of the whole ivas annually called
the day after St Crispin's day ; and, being divided into four nations, each na-
tion by itself chose a procurator and intrant, and Uie intrants meeting by them-
selves, made choice of a rector and a deputation of each nation, who were
assistants and assessors to the ractor. The rector and his deputation had vari-
ous and important functions. They were judges in all criminal causes, wherein
any member of the university was a party. Every member who either sued or
answered before any other court, was guilty of perjury, and incunred tlie
penalty of expubion. The ecdesiaatics in the univenity, of course, to what-
ever diocese they belonged, could no longer be called before their rural deans.
All members were incorporated by the rector and depuUtion, after taking an
oath to obey tlie rector and his suooesson, to observe the statutes, preserve the
privileges of the university, and keep its secrets, revealing nothing to iU pre-
judice, whatever station in society they might afUrwards attain. The rector
and deputies were also the council of the college. It was their businem to de-
liberate upon, and digest all matten to be brought before the congregation of
the doctors and masters, whose determinations in such cases were accounted, in
respect of authority, next to the sUtutes^ Two other ofiice-bearers wera chosen
annually, on the day after St Crispin's, namely, a bunaritu, who kept the uni-
versity purse, and accounUd for all his intromissions ; and a promoter, whose
business it was to see to the observation of the statutes, and to bring delin-
quents before the rector's court, which had power to enforce the sUtutes, or to
dispense Ttith them, in certain casef. The second division of the univenity waa

WILLIAM TURNBTJLL. 381

into its different facultiet, four of ivhich^ in the pope^t bull, are specified by
name^ Theolog^y, Canon Law, Ciril Law, and the Arts. All others are com.
prehended in a general dause, quaamque licita faetiUaie, In these times, the
professions of theology, canon, and civil laws, were denominated the three
learned professions, as being the only ones in which learning was thought ne-
cessary. They alone fitted men for honourable or profitable employments, for
being admitted to dignities in the church or the state ; and to train men to
eminence in these professions, was the original intention of unirersities. The
arts, however, under which were comprehended logic, physics, and morals, be-
ing considered as necessary to these professions, formed an indispensable part
of study in every anivenity. The universities were all incorporated by tlie
popes, who appear to have borrowed their plan from that of incorporated
touns and burghs, the university corresponding to the wliole incorporation of
the burgh, and the different Acuities to the different companies of trades or
crafts into which the burgh is divided The companies in the incorporated
towns, were anciently called collegia, or colleges ; and the whole incorpora-
tion, comprehending all the companies, was called the umvernias of that
town. These names, by analogy, were at first applied to corporations of the
learned professions, and at length appropriated solely to tbenu The govern-
ment of every &culty was similar to that of the university. Each had its own
statutes, determining the time of study, and the exercises and examinations
necessary for attaining degrees in that faculty. Each chose annually its own
dean, its own bttnariw, and sometimes four deputations, as a council to the dean.
Of the three higher faculties in this university, nothing is known, there being no
record of their statutes or transactions extant A third division in the college
was made, according to tlie academical degree of every member. The highest
degree in theology, canon and civil law, was that of doctor in the arts. In all
the faculties, there were two degrees by which a man rose to the highest
These were bachelor and licentiate. The degree of licentiate, as well as that
of doctor or master, was conferred by the chancellor or vice-chancellor. The
requisites to all the degrees, were a certain time of study, having heard certain
booka prelected upon, and performed certain exercises, and gone through cer-
tain examinations. The age of fifteen was necessary for being made a bachelor
of arts, and twenty to become a master. It was forbidden, under a heavy
penalty, to give any man the title of master, by word or writing, who had not
attained that degree ; and the penalty was still heavier, if any man took it to
himself, without having obtained it in the regular manner. Nor can we feel
surprised at degrees being thus carefully guarded, seeing they were held to be of
divine institution, and were always conferred by the chancellor, or vice-chan-
cellor, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Some
years after the university was founded, a number of the students being young men
to whom tuition as well as teaching was necessary, provision was made that they
should live and eat in one house, which was called Pedagogium, or the college of
arts. Here they were taught and governed by certain roasters, called Begenteg
Artibw. This college was at first on the south side of the Rottenrow, near the
cathedral ; but afterwards a tenement was bequeathed for it by lord Hamilton,
situated where the college now stands. There were at first in the university,
three regents in the arts, vi&, Alexander Geddes, a Cistertian monk ; Duncan
Burch, and William Arthurlie. Afterwards there were sometimes two, and
sometimes only one. This seems to have been the most laborious and least
coveted office in the university. Besides teaching and presiding in disputa-
tions, every lawful day, the regents lived within the college, ate at a common
uble with the students of arts, visited the rooms of the students before nine

382

WUJIAM tUBNBCUU

at nighty ifhen the gatot vrera Uiuty and at fire in Uio morniiig^ and aaiUted in
all •xaninaiioBa far degvaai in the faculties of arta. For many yean the office
had no wlary^ and the ieea paid by the atudenU were very imalL All that held
tlie office, two enly excepUd, kept it but for a short time ; and often one, who
was not a member of the ikeulty, waa cidled to tlie office ;. which renders it
probable that there waa no competition in those days,, either for the office it-
self, or for the patronage of it ; but, on the contrary, some difficulty was ej&-
perienced in finding persons qualified to fill it, or vlra were willing to take it.
Jamea IL,. the year after its foondation, granted a royal charter in favour of
the university, by which the rectors, tlie deaus of Uie fiiculties, the procurators
of the four nations, the masters, regents, and scholars, with the beadles, writers,
stationen, and parchment makers, were exempted from all taxes,, watchlngi, and
warding*, weaponpechawinga, && ; but it had no property, either of lands,
houses^ or rentSw The eon^gatio uaivtrdlatU was ahvays held al the
cftthedrak Th« doctors and masters met sometimes at the convent of the
Dominicans, ev pr*die&iore9, aa they wese called, where all the lectures we
find mentioned in theology, canon, and civil law, were read. There was
a university puBM> into which perquisites, paid, on being incorporated
at examinations aad pronuMions to degrees, were puL From this pune,
after it had accumulated for some yean, cups of ceremony were fur-
nished ; but to defiaay the expense of a silver rod oi mace^ to be borne be*
fore the rector en solemn occasions,, it was necessary to tax all the incocu
porated memben^ on which eecesion Dwrid Cadsow,. the fisit rector, gave
twenty noblest The first property the college ac^mired waa two or three chap-
lainaries bequeathed by soai* of its &ai mem be rs L The duty of the chaplain
was to perform certain wassai at a specified altar for the soula of the founder
and his friends, for which he woa paid a small annuity. These chaplainariae
were commonly given to some ef the regents of the college of arta, probably be-
cause they were the parent of the sacerdotal order in the oniveisity* Thie
patronage, and this purse, so for aa appears, wiere all the property the
university ever possessed ; nor dees it appear that the foculdes of theology,
canon and civU Isnv, ever had any property; The individmJs had each
livings through aXL parte of the nation, abbseies, prioaies, prebendariesy re^
tories^ and viearagee, but the community had nofthing. ks prisilegea wese the
sole mducement to bring rich ea^ssiaatics into a seeiety in whicb they lived at
ease free of all taxes^ and snbject to no anliierity but that of theiv own aecter^
The college of arts, however, which the public even then had the good senee
to see was the most usefol part a# tiie wholn, and paaticuhudy entitled to public
favour, as being entrusted with the adueatioa of yeuth^soon came to* hare semo
property.

In the year Idfi^, osdy eight yean aAer lie foundation, Jamea ksd Haaili.
ton bequealdioi to Mr IXmcan Bureh, principal recent of tho college eC arte,
and his succeisers, regentSy for the use of the said eeUego, a tenement^ wdtk Ike
perttneirts lying en the nortir side of diochuMh aaA commntef the Domiat-
cans, together with four acrea of land in the Dore-hlll, with a re^tuest that the
regento and sludenls every day after dinner and after supper shoidd stand up
and pray for the souls of hins levd ^mea Hamilton, of Kuphemia, his speuae,
countess of I^uglas, ef his ancestors and sueeesiors, and of all frons when» he
Lad reeeived any benefit for which he had not mado a proper retunu Theao
four acres of land still form part of the coUege garden, and foon^ this date the
faculty ef arte foen tine to time were enabled to devote somewhat to the re-
pairing, and even to make additioae to tho buildings of the college, fomishing
rooms for tiie regents aad studenU, with things necessary for tlio kitdien and

17ILLIAM TYTL£R. 383

a 'Common table. Nearly thirty yean after thig^ Mr Themas Aithurlie
bequeathed to the unirentty another tenement adjoinfaig to the collegv. By
thig tiflae the etudenks oondited g^enerally of the youth of the nation, wlioge
education wag of tlie utmoBt importanoe to the public They were digtinguighed
aocording to their rank into gong of noblemen , of gentlemen, and thoge of
meaner rank, and, ivilh a degree «f cengideration wMch in modem timeg liag
been logt gight of, for the expente of thmr education were taxed accordingly.
Such ig the early hiatory of the univereity of Giaggow, founded by bighop
Ikimbull, probably in indtatien of tiiat eatabligbed by bighop Wardlaw at St
Andrews Neitlier «f thoge biahopg, it may be remarked, begkovred any oc
their fimdg spon the oollegeg they ^ere the meong of egtablighiog, and
in thjg regpect came for ghort of bighop Eipbington ef Aberdeen, ivlio not only
procured the foundation of a college in that city, bat contributed largely to
itg endowment. Biabop Tumbull ahro obtained from imneg 11. a charter -erect-
ing the tavitL and patrimonieg of the bidiopric of Giaggow into a regality,
and after he had done many actg biglily beneficial to the age in wbich he
li^ed, and worthy to be remendbered by poaterfty, died at Heme, on tlie 3rd
day -of September, 1454. Hig death wag iniif«rga]ly regretted; and hig name
■gugt alwayg bear a congpiciioug place among tiie more worthy and vneivH clergy
of the elder egtablighment in Scotland.

TYTLER, William, of Woodhougelee, an eminent anfiqvariaa writer, wag
biNCB in Edinburgh on the Idtli October, 171 1. Hig fetber, Alexander Tytler,
waa a writer by profeggion in the game city. Hig «<»ther wag daughter of
Mr WiUiam Leglie, merchavt in Aberdeen, and grand^ugbter of Sir Patrick
Lerfieeflden.

The anbject of Hiig memoir veeeived lug education at the High School and
untvergity of hig natire city, and in both digtinguulied himgelf by aggiduity in
hig gtudieg, and by m early and mere than ordinary proficiency in damical
learning. Raring added to hig other aoquirementg a competent knowledge of
municipal law, which he itudied under Mr Alexander Bryce, proibgeor of tliat
goienoe m the unaveraity ef Edinburgh, he wag, in 1744, admitted into the
Society of Writerg to hig majeaty^ Signet, in vAnch capacity he practised with
increaging guccegg till hig death.

Mr Tytler*g fiivt appearance aa an author took place in 1759, when lie pub-
lighed an ** In^mry, liigtorical and critical, into the Evidence againgt Mary,
Queen of Scotg, and an Eaounination of the Hietorieg of I>r Robertgon and Mr
Hume %vith regpeotto that Eridenoe." In thla work Mr Tytler warmly egpouged
ike cauge of the mrfbrtunato princegg, and brcNiglit a force of argoment, and an
aentenegg and pvecition of reagonhig to the digcuggion of the interecting ^piegtion
>of her innocence or guilt, whi^ had never been employed on it before. It was
the fitet appeal in behalf of the Soottisb ^ueen which made any impreggion en
tlie public mind, «r which excited any feeling of particular interest in the
chargeg which had been brought against her moral character. A similar attempt
with thig of Mr Tytler*s, had been made some yeaia pveTionsly by Walter
Goodal, one e€ tlw under keeperg of the Advocateir* Library in Edinburgh, but
it wag eo indifferently written, and its matter so ungkilfully arranged, that it
entirely failed to attract any dnie of the public attention. Mr Tytler, hold-
over, found it a useful assistant He adopted many of Goodal's aiguments, but
he aiTanged them anew, and gave them that consistency and force which is so
essential to eficionoy: The first edition of the^Inquiry was publiiftied in a tingle
oetafo Tolunne*; another, considerably enlarged, pai^oularly in the historicnl
part, soon afterwards appeared, and hi 1790, a fonrth edition was fablkhed in
two volumes.

S81 WILLIAM TYTLBB.

The ability displayed by Uiif work acquired for Mr Tytler a very high
repuUUion in the world of letten. It waj ea|rer]y read throughout Britain, and
naf scarcely leu popular in France, into the language of which country it was
pretty ably translated. The interest which the Inquiry excited was also very
great There were a novelty and chiralry in the attempt eminently calculated
to attract attention, and to excite sympathy, and it obtained a large share
of both. It was reriewed in many of the different periodicals of the day
by some of the most eminent literary men then living ; amongst these were
Johnson, Smollett, and Douglas, bishop of SalUbury. To the favourable tes-
timony to the meriu of the work borne by these competent judges, was added
that of lord chancellor Hardwicke, who said it was the most conclusive arrange-
ment of circumstantiate proofs he had ever seen.

Mr Tytler's next literary production was, ** The Poetical Remains of Janiee
the Fi»t,king of Scotland," in one volume, 8vo, Edinburgh, 1783. In this
publication Mr Tytler, on very strong grounds, ascribes to that monarch the
celebrated poems of " The King's Quair," and " Christ's Kirk on the Green."
ills reasoning heie, as in the defence of Mary, is remarkable for cogency and
conciseness, and if it is not always convincing, it is, at least, ahvays |>lausible.
To the Poetical Remains there is added a Dissertation on the Life and Writings
of James, lemarkable at once for profound antiquarian research, and the ludd
arrangement of its facts;

Mr Tytler was an ardent lover of music, especially of the music of his native
country. He was himself a good performer, and his theoretical knowledge of
the science was fully equal to his practical proficiency. This devotion to muaic,
together with a fine sensibility, which subjected him in a peculiar manner to the
influence of the pathetic strains of the national melodies of Scotland, led him
to write a highly interesting, though in some respects fanciful, essay on Scottish
music, which is appended to Amot*s History of Edinburgh.

The ability which tliese various publications displayed rapidly increased Mr
Tytler's reputation, and procured him the respect and esteem of men of taste
and learning, especially of those of his native country, who felt and acknow-
ledged the good service he was doing towards completing their national history
by his industry, diligence, and patient research in the peculiar walk of litera-
ture he had chosen : a feeling which was yet further increased by his subse-
quent publications. The next of these, of the character alluded to, was a Dis-
sevUilion on ibe mAnuigfl of Qijeen Blary ta lb6 earl of Bolbvvel), published in
the fii^t volutin of ih« TrainBaciioiiB of ilie Society of Aiuiquarjei in 17^1. Jn
tliii DisserUtion, uliich »t djitinguUhed by all the marits diipbyed by Mr
lytler't uther producLJoni, he defetidi, with much ingenuity, UkaC ui^ happy step
v^hich united Mary to Bolh^veU ; but it is to be fear^d^ Umt, i*ilU otl iis
Jngenuity nnd judicious remark^ it riin never be otherwise consickfcid than as jtu
ni tempt, generous and chivalrous imlced, but uimvailiEig, to defend jx lUing ia lt«
self indefensible.

In the yeai* following, viz., 1702, Mr Tytler publiibed, through the sanK*
diaunel with Ihfit by \ihith the Dissertation had been given to the world, '* Ob-
lerva Lions on the Viiicin, A poem,^ ilrit published in Hamsay^'s Evei^^en, The
object of these observMloni ivns I ho generous one, of yiodi eating Martway's titio
to lite merit of being the author of the poem in question, of which som« duubU
had been entertained.

Ihe '* Obsorralions,-' fitc, were soon after fwUovved by a production of singtilar
interest. This was *^ An Account of the Fashionable Amusetnenti and Enter-
tainments of Edinburgh in the last (leventeenilO century, wiih the plan of a grand
Concert of 31usic perfonncd Ihere on St Cecilia's day^ 1605."

ALEXANDER FBASBR TYTLER. 385

MrTytlerwaf also the author of a paper in the Lounger, No. 16, entitled the
^ l>efecta of Modem Female education in teaching the Duties of a Wife;** and
with this tenninates the catalogue of his published literary achieTements, so far
as these are known or acknowledged.

To MrTytler's talents and acquirements his works will always bear evidence, but
there are other merits which he possessed in an eminent degree, which it requires
the pen of the biographer to perpetuate. His works sufficiently inform us of
his profound and intimate acquaintance with Scottish history and antiquarian
lore ; of his zealous patriotism, and eminent knowledge of the science of music ;
but they do not inform us of his generous and benevolent disposition , nor of
that delightful and enviable buoyancy of spirit, which enabled him, at tl)e
latest period of a life protracted beyond the usual limit of human existence,
to join, with the utmost glee, in all the pranks and follies of the young persons,
his friends and relatives, who came to visit him, and whom he was always
rejoiced to see. Mr TyUer not only attained and enjoyed himself a healthy
and happy old age, but had a prescription ready for his friends which would
confer the same blessing. This prescription was ** short, but cheerful meals,
music, and a good conscience**'

Mr Tytler was one of the original members of the Musical Society of Edin-
burgh, and continued his connexion with that body for nearly sixty years. He
usually spent a portion, of the summer at his beautiful country seat of Wood*
houselee. Here in a private and shady walk he had erected an urn with the
following inscription : —

Hunc lucum
Cnria mortals amicis,
Saaiim dicat
AV. T.

Some time before his death, Mr Tytler was seized with a slight paralytic af-
fection, but it did not much debilitate his frame, nor did it in the least degree
affect his faculties, all of which remained nnimpaired till the hour of his death,
an event whidi happened on the 12th of September, 1792, in the eighty-first
year of his ageu

Mr Tytler was married in 1745, to Miss Anne Craig, daughter of James
Craig, Esq. of Costerton, in the county of Mid Lothian, one of the writers to
his majesty's Signet, by whom he left two sons, Alexander Fraser Tytler, after-
wards lord Woodhouselee, and major Patrick Tytler, fort-major of the castle of
Stirling. He left also one daughter. Miss Christina Tytler. U only remains
to be added to this sketch, and the addition though short, comprises one
of the strongest eulogiums which was ever bestowed on human virtue : it is re-
corded of Mr Tytler, that no one ever spoke ill of him.

TYTLER, Albxarubb Fkaskb, usually styled Lord Woodhouselee, was born
in Edinburgh, on the i5th of October, 1747. He was the eldest son of
William Tytler, esquire of Woodhouselee, by his wife, Anne Craig. The
earlier rudiments of education he received from his father at home ; but in the
eighth year of his age, he was lent to the High School, then under the direction of
Mr Mathison. At this seminary, young Tytler remained for five yean, distinguish-
ing himself at once by the lively frankness of bis manners, and by the industry
and ability with which he applied himself to, and pursued his studiesi The
latter procured him the highest honours of the academy ; and, finally, in the
last year of his course, obtained for him the dignity of dux of the rector's
class.

On the completion of his curriculum at the High School his father sent him

386

ALSXINDER FJUSBR TTTLEJL

to an acUemy at KeMington, for th« atill further imfniwmmii of hia daKkal
attainmenU Thb andeny wat then under the care of Mr Elphington, a man
of great learning and singular worth, who ipeedtly formed a Mroog attachment
to his pupiiy arising from the pleasing urbanity of hia nMumen, and the eeal
and derotion with which he applied himself to the acquisition of dassical learn-
ing. When Mr Tytler eet out for Keneington, which was in 1763, in the su«
teenth year of his age, he went with the determination of returning an aeoom-
plished scholar ; and steadily acting up to thb determination, he attained the
^end to which it was directed. At Kensington, he eoon distinguished himself by
his application and proficiency, particularly in Latin poetry, to uhidi he now
became greatly attached, and in which he arrifed at great ezoellenoe. Ilia
master was especially delighted with his eflerta in this way, and look every op*
portunity, not only of praising them himeelf, but of exhibiting them to all with
whom he came in contact who were capable of appreciating their merits. To
his other porsuils, while at Kensington, Mr Tytler added drawing, wliidi soon
became a fiiroorite amusement with him, and oontinned so throughout the whole
of his after life. He ako began, by hlaMelf, to study Italian, and by earnest
and increasing assiduity, quickly acquired a sufficienUy oompetent knowledge of
that language, to enable him to read it fluently, and to enjoy the beauties of
the authors who ivrote in it. The dirersity of Mr Tytler^s pursuits extended
yet further. He acquired, while at Kensington, a taste, for natural history, in
the study of ^vhich he was greatly assisted by Dr Russel, an intimate ftiend of
his father, who then lived in his neighbourhood.

In 1765, Mr Tytler returned to Edinburgh, afler an absence of two years,
which he altvays reckoned amongst the happiest and best spent of his life.
On his return to his natire city, his studies naturally assumed a mors direct
rebition to the profession for which he was destined, — the law. With this ob-
ject chiefly in riew, he entered the unirersity, yhere he began the study of dvil
law, under Dr Dick ; and afterwuds that of municipal law, under BIr WaUaee.
He also studied logic, under Dr Stevenson ; rhelerk and belles lettres, under
Ihr Blair ; and moral science, under I> Fevgnsson. Mr Tytler, however, did
not, by any means, derote his attention exdnsively to these ptepamtory psHtfee-
sional studies. He reserved a portion for those that belong to general knou>
ledge. FVom these he selected natural philosophy and obeaistry, and attended
a coune of eadi.

It will be seen, from the learned and eminent names tnuasenited above, that
Mr Tytler was sfaigularly fbrtunate in his teaehete ; and it will be seen, fitmi
those that follow, that he was no len fortunate, at this period of his Ufe, in his
acquaintance. Amongst these he had the happiness to reckon Henry Miso-
kenaie, lord Abereromby, lord Graig, Mr Playlhir, Dr Gregory, and Dogald
Stewart During the summer rec e ss es of the nnivestity, Mr TyUer was in the
habit of rethring to his father*^ residence at Woodhouselee. The time spent
here, however, was not spent in idleness. In tiie quiet secknion of this de-
lightful country residence, he resumed, and followed oot with exemplary assi-
dttlty, the literary pursuiU to which he was so devoted. He read extensively
in the Roman dassics, and in French and Italian Kteratura. He atndied deeply,
besides, the ancient writers of England; and thus hikl in a stock of knowledge,
and acquired a delicacy of taste, which few hare ever attained. Nor fai this
derotion to sererer study, did he neglect those lighUr aceomplishments, whidi so
elegantly ralieve the exhaustion and fiitigues of mental application. He in-
dulged his taste for dnwing and music, and always joined in the little flmiily
concerts, in which his amiable and accomplished father took singular delight.

In 1770, Mr Tytler was called to the bar ; and in the spring of the auoceed-

ALEXANDER FfiASER TTTLEB. 387

ing year, he paid a ritit to Faris^ in oompaDy with Mr Kerr of B lackg h ieU
Shortly after this, lord Karnes, with whom he bad the good fortune to become
acquainted in the year 1767, and who had peroeired and appreciated his talents,
baring seen from time to time some of his little literary e/ibrts, recommended to
liim to write something in the way of his proiession. This recommendation,
which had for its object at once the promotion of his interests, and the acquisi-
tion of literary fame, his lordship followed up, by proposing that Mr Tytler
should write a supplementary volume to his Dictionary of Decisions. Inspired
with confidence, and flattered by the opinion of his abilities and competency
for the work,' which this .suggestion implied on the part of lord Kames, Mr
Tytler immediately oonunenced the laborious undertaking, and in Bv^ years of
almost unremitting toil, completed it The work, which was executed in such
a manner as to call forth not only the unqualified approbation of the eminent
person who had first proposed it, but of all who were competent to judge of its
merits, inu published in folio, in 1778. Two years after this, in 1780, Mr
Tytler was appointed conjunct professor of tmiversal history in the college of
Edinburgh with Mr Pringle; and in 1786, he became sole profeuor. From
this period, till the year 1800, he devoted himself exclusively to the duties of
his office ; but in these his services were singularly efficient, surpassing far in
importance, and in the benefits which they conferred on the student, what any of
his predecessors had ever performed. His couise of lectures was so remarkably
comprehensive, that, although they were Chiefly intended, in accordance with the
object for whidi the class was instituted, for the benefit of those who were intended
for tlie law, he yet numbered amongst his students many who were not destined
for that profe»ion. The &vourable impression made by these performances, and
the popularity which they acquired for Mr Tytler, induced him, in 1782, to
publish, what ho modestly entitled ** Outlines" of his course of lectures. These
were so well received, that their ingenious author felt himself called upon some
time afterwards to republish them in a more extended form. This he accord-
ingly did, in two volumea, under the title of '' Elements of General History."
The Elements were received with an increase of public favour, proportioned to
the additional value which had been imparted to the work by its extension.
It became a text book in some of^ the universities of Britain ; and was held in
equal estimation^ and similarly employed, in the universities of America. The
work has since passed through many editions. The reputation of a man of
letters, and of extensive and varied aequirements, which Mr Tytler now de»
served! y enjoyed, subjected him to numerous demands for literary assistanoe
and advice. Amongst these, was a request from Dr Gregory, then (1788) en-
gaged in publishing the works of his &ther, Dr John Gregory, to prefix to
these works an account of the life and writings of the latter. With this request,
Mr Tytler readily complied ; and he eventually discharged the trust thus con*
fided to him, with great fidelity and discrimination, and witli the tenderest and
most aflectionate regard for the memory which he was perpetuating.

Mr Tytler nrote pretty largely, also, for the well known periodicals, the
Mirror and the Lounger* To the former of these he contributed, Nos. 17, 37,
59, and 79 ; and to the latter, Noa. 7, 9, S4, 44, 67, 70, and 79. The first
of these were written with the avowed intention of giving a higher and
sprightlier character to tlie work to which they were furnished; qualities in
which he thought it deficient, although he greatly admired the talent and
genius displayed in its graver papers ; but he justly conceived, that a judicious
admixture of a little humour, occasionally, would not be against its popularity.
The circumstances in which his contributions to the Lounger were composed,
afibrd a very remarkable instance of activity of mind and habits, of facility of

388 AI^XAKDER FRASER TTTLER.

ezprettion, and felicity of imagination. They were almost all written at inns, |

where he happened to be detained for any length of time, in his occasional | r

journeys from one place to anotlier. Few men would hare thought of deroting I 1

such hours to any useful purpose ; but the papers of the Lounger, abore enu-
merated, show how much may be made of them by genius and diligence.

On the institution of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, in 1783, Mr Tytler be-
came one of its constituent roeml>ers ; and was soon afterwards unanimously elected / /
one of the secretaries of the literary dass, in which capocity he drew up an account
of the Origin and History of the Society, whidi was prefixed to the fhvt rolume of
iU Transactions. In 1 7 88, Mr Tytler contributed to the Transactions, a biogra-
phical sketch of Robert Dundas of Amiston, lord president of the Court of Ses-
sion; and in the year following, read a paper to the society on the ritrified forts
in the Highlands of Scotland. The principal scope of this paper, whidi dis-
covers great antiquarian knowledge and research, is to show, that, in all proba-
bility, this remarkable characteristic of the ancient Highland forts — ^their ritri-
fication — was imparted to them, not during their erection, as was generally sup-
posed, but at their destruction, which its author reasonably presumes, would be,
in most, if not all cases, effected by fire. With the exception of some trifling
differences of opinion in one or two points of minor importance, Mr Tytler's
essay met with the warm and unanimous approbation of the most eminent anti-
quarians of the day.

The next publication of this rersatile and ingenious writer, irai, an " Ei^y
on the Principles of IVanslation,** published, nnctnymoutly, in 1700. By one
of those singular coincidences, which are not of un frequent occurrenee in the
literary world, it happened that Dr Campbell , pnndpnl of the Marischa! rot-
lege, Aberdeen, had, but a short while berore, publbhed a work, enlitZed
** Translations of the Gospel; to which wns prefixed a. Preliminary Dit9«rtation
on the Prindples of Taste.** Between many of the sentinienli ex[iteB9ed in this
dissertation, and those promulgated in Mr TytlerV essay, there nas a resem-
blance so strong and close, that Dr Campbell, on petuiinf the Intter, immedi-
ately conoeired that the anonymous antlior had pillaf^«d his diweruilicrn ; and
instantly wrote to Mr Creech of Edinburgh, his publiiher, i nit mating his sui-
picions. Mr Tytler, howerer, now came forward, adcnowledged hinitelf to be
the author of the suspected essay, and, in a correspondence whidi lie opened
with Dr Campbell, not only conrinced him ihitt the limibrity of lentimetrt
which appeared in their respectire publications, m ns the result of mere nod-
dent, but succeeded in obtaining the esteem and warmest friendship of hi*
learned correspondent

Mr Tytler's essay attained a rapid and extraordinary celebrity. Compli-
mentary letters flowed in upon its author from many of the most eminent men
in England ; and the book itself speedily came to be contidered a slandard
work in English criticism. Mr Tytler had now attained neaviy the tiigUest
pinnacle of literary repute. His name was widely known, and wns in every
case associated with esteem for his worth, and admiration of liit liilents. U is
no matter for wonder then, that such a man fthould iLare attracted the notice of
those in power, nor that they should have thought it tvould reflect ere rl it on
themselres, to promote his interests.

In 1790, Mr Tytler, through the influence of lord Melrille, ^vas appointed
to the high dignity of judge-adrocate of Scotland. Tlie duties of thia important
ofRoe had always been, preriously to Mr Tytler'i jiomination, diidiarged by de-
puty ; but neither the activity of his body and mind, nor the strong serise of
the duty he owed to the public, would permit him to have recourse tu such a
subterfuge. He resolred to dischai^ the duties now iiuposed upon him in

ALEXANDER FRASER TYTLER. 389

penoD, and continued to do so, attending himself on every trial , so long us
he held the appointment He also drew up, >vhile acting*^s judge-adrocate^ a
treatise on Martial Law> which has heen found of great utility. Of the eeal
with which Mr Tytler discharged the duties of hie office, and of the anxiety
and impartiality with which he watched orer and directed the course of justice,
« remarkable instance is afforded in the case of a court-martial , which wns
held at Ayr. Mr Tytler thought the sentence of that court unjust ; and under
this impression, which was well founded, immediately represented the matter to
Sir Charles Morgan, judge-adrocate general of England, and prayed for a re-
version of the sentence. Sir Charles cordially concurred in opinion with
Mr Tytler regarding the decision of the court-martial, and immediately pro-
cured the desired reversioor In the fulneu of his feelings, the feelings of a
generous and upright mind, Mr Tytler recorded his satisfaction with the event,
on the back of the letter which announced it.

In the year 1792, Mr Tytler lost his father, and by his death succeeded to
the estate of Woodhouselee, and shortly after Mrs Tytler succeeded in a similar
manner to the estate of Balmain in Inverness-shire. On taking possession of
Woodhouselee, Mr Tytler designed, and erected a little monument to the
memory of his father, on which was an appropriate Latin inscription^ in a
part of the grounds which his parents had delighted to frequent

This tribute of filial affection paid, Mr Tytler, now in possession of
affluence, and every other blessing on which human felicity depends, be-
gan to realise certain projects for the improvement and embellishment of his
estate, which he had long fondly entertained, and thinking with Pope that
" to enjoy, is to obey,*' he prepared to make the proper use of the wealth
which had been apportioned to him. This was in opening up sources of
rational and innocent enjoyment for himself, and in promoting the happiness
and comfort of those around him. From tliis period he resided constantly at
Woodhottselee, the mansion-house of which he enlarged in order that he might
enlarge the bounds of his hospitality. The felicity, however, which he now en*
joyed, and for which, perhaps, no man was ever more sincerely or piously
grateful, was destined soon to meet with a serious interruption. In three years
after his aooewion to his paternal estate, vis. in 1795, Mr Tytler was seized with
a dangerous and long protracted fever, accompanied by delirium. The skill
and assiduity of his friend Dr (jregory, averted any fatal consequences from the
fever, but during the paroxysms of the disease he had burst a blood vessel, an
accident which rendered his entire recovery at first doubtful, and afterwards ex>
ceedingly tardy. During the hours of convalescence which succeeded his illness
on this occasion, Mr Tytler employed himself in improving, and adapting to
the advanced state of knowledge, Derham's Fhysico-Theology, a work which
he had always held in high estimation. To this new edition of Derham's
work, which he published in 1799, he prefixed a '' Dissertation on Final
Causes.** In the same year Mr Tytler wrote a pamphlet entitled, ** Ire-
land profiting by Example, or the Question considered, Whether Scotland has
gained or lost by the Union.'' He was induced to this undertaking by the dr*
cumstance of the question having been then furiously agitated, whether any
benefit had arisen, or was likely to arise from the Union with Ireland. Of Mr
Tytler*s pamphlet the interest was so great that no less than 3000 copies were
sold on the day of publication.

The well earned reputation of Mr Tytler still kept him in the public eye,
and in the way of preferment. In 1801, a vacancy having occurred in the
bench of the court of Session by the death of lord Stonefield, the subject of this
memoir was appointed, through the influence of lord Melville, to succeed hi in,

! ^

390 ALEXANDEA F&ASSR TYXLEK.

and took his seat, on the 2nd of February, 1 802, as lord Wootfioiiialw. Uk
lordship now devoted himself to the duties of his office witb the nne wdtl and i

assiduity which had distinguished his proceedinp as judge-adroealet. WUla
the courts were sitting, he resided in tomiy and appropriated every hour to the
business allotted to him ; but during the suouner recess, he retiied to hk
country-seat, and there devoted himself with similar assiduity to literary prnw
suits* At this period his lordship contemplated several literary works; bat
gratitude, and a warm and affectionate regard for the memory of hie early pattosi
induced him to abandon them all, in order to write the Life of Lord Kamea.
This work, which occupied him, interveniently, for four years, waa published ia
2 volumes, quarto, in 1 807, with the title of " Memoirs of tlie life and Writiags
of Henry Home, lord Kames." Besides a luminous account of its proper ad^
ject, and of all his writings, it contains a vaat fund of literary anecdote, asid
many notices of eminent persons, of whom there was hardly any other oom-
memoratton.

On the elevation of lord justice derk Hope to the president^ ciiair
in 1811, lord Woodhouselee was appointed to the Justiciary bench, and with
tliis appointment terminated his profemional advanceiMBt His loidship siill
continued to devote his leisure hours to literary puauits, but these were now
exclusively confined to the rerision of his Lectures upon History. In this tadc,
however, he laboured witb unwearied assiduity, adding to them the fresh matter
with which subsequent study and experience had supplied him, and hs^
proving them where an increased refinement in taste showed him they wvra
defective. ^ -

In 1812, lord Woodhouselee succeeded to some property bequeathed him by
his friend and relation. Sir James Cimig, governor of Canada. On thia
occasion a journey to London ivas necessary, and his lordship accordingly pro-
ceeded thither. Amongst the other duties which devolved upon him there, aa
nearest relative of the deceased knight, was that of returning to the eovoieign
the insignia of the order of the Bath irith which Sir James had been invested.
In the discharge of this duty his lordship had an interview with tho Friaoe
Regent, who received him with marked cordiality, and, from the eonvorsatson
which afterwards followed, became so favourably impressed regarding him, that
he caused an intimation to be conveyed to him soon afler, that the dignity of
baronet would be conferred upon him if he chose it. This honour, howovar,
his lordship modestly dediued.

On his return from London, his lordship, who was now in tho aixty-fifkh year
of his age, was attacked with his old complaint, and so seriously, that ho waa
advised, and prevailed upon to remove from Woodhouselee to Bdinbuigh for
the benefit of the medical skill which the city afiTorded. No human aid, honu
ever, could now avail him. His complaint daily gained ground in de^te of
every effort to arrest its progress. Feeling that he had not long to fire,
although perhaps, not aware that the period wae to be so brief, ho desired hia
coadiman to drive him out on the road in the direction of Woodhouaelee, the
scene of the greater portron of the happiness which he had oi^oyod throng
life, that he might obtain a last sight of his beloved retreat.

On coming within view of tlie well-known grounds his eyes beamed with a
momentary feeling of delight He returned home, ascended the stairs which
led to his study with unwonted vigour, gained. the apartment, sank on tho floor,
and expired without a groan.

Lord Woodhouselee died on the 5th January, 1813, in the 66th year of his
age; leaving a name which will not soon be forgotten, and a reputation
for taste, talent, and personal worth, which will not ofien be surpassed.

JAlfSS TYTLER. 391

TYTLER, Jjoaa, a hborioai mitoellsneoui writar, mn the son of tho misiiter
of Pern, in the county of Forfar, irhere he \ns bom about the middle of the
hut century. After receiTing a good education, he was apprenticed to a
BIr Ogilrie, a surgeon in Forfiir, for nhom he probably prepared the drugs
irhich almost iuTariably form a part of the business of such prorincial practi-
tioners. He afterwards commenced a regular medical education at the uni-
versity of Edinburgh, for ^vhich the necessary finances were partly supplied by
two Toyages which he made in the capacity of snrgeon on board a Greenland
whaler. F^em his earliest years, and during tlie whole course of his professional
studies, he read with aridity erery book that fell in his way ; and, having a
retentive memory, he thus acquired an immense ftind of knowledge^ more parti-
cularly, it is ssid, in the department of history. If reared in easy circumstance!,
and with a proper supervision over his moral nature, it if probable that Tytler
would have turned his singular aptitude for learning, and his prompt and lively
turn of mind, to some account, either in the higher walks of literature, or in some
professional pursuit. He appears, however, to have never known anything but the
most abject poverty, and to have never been inspired with a taste for anything
superior : talent and information were in him unaccompanied by any develop-
ment of the higher sentiments : and he contentedly settled at an early period
of life into an humble matrimonial alliance, which obliged him to dissipate, upon
paltry objects, the abilities that ought to have been concentrated upon some
considerable effort. Whether ftrom the pressing nature of the responiibilities
thus entailed upon him, or from a natural want <tf the power of application,
Tytler was never able to fix himself steadily in any kind of employment He
first attempted to obtain praedoe as a surgeon in Edinburgh ; but finding the
profits of that business inadequate to the support of his family, and being
destitute of that capital which might have enabled him to overcome the
first difficulties, he was soon induced to remove to Leith, in oxder to open
a shop for the sale of chemical preparations. For this department he was cer-
tainly qualified, so far as a skill in chemistry, extraordinary in that age, could
be supposed to qualify him. But either from the want of a proper market for
his commodities, or because, as formerly, he could not afford to wait till time
should establish one, he fiiiled in this line also. In the mean time, some lite-
rary efforts of Tytler had introduced him to the notice of the booksellers of
Edinburgh, and he was employed by Messn Bell and Macferquhar, as a contri-
butor to the second edition of the Encyclopiedia Britannica, which began to be
published in 1776. As noticed in the life of Mr William Smellie, the
first edition of Ihe EncyclopSBdia was chiefly compiled by that gentleman, and
was comprised in three volumes quarta Mr Smellie having declined both a
commerdal and literary share in the second impression, on account of
its induding a biographical department, the proprietors appear to have en-
gaged the pen of Mr Tytler as the next most eligible person that was at their
command as a compiler; and accordingly, a large proportion of that addi-
tional matter, by which the woric was expanded from three to ten volumes, was
the production of the subject of this memoir. The payment for this labour is
said to have been very small, insomuch that the poor author could not support
his family in a style superior to that of a common labourer. At one time, dur-
ing the progrem of the work, he lived in the village of Duddingston, in the
house of a washerwoman, whose tub, inverted, formed the only desk he could
eommaad ; and the editor of this dictionary has heard one of his children re-
late, that she was frequently despatched to town with a small parcel of copy,
upon the proceeds of which depended the next meal of the family. It
is curious to reflect that the proceeds of the work wliidi included so much of

393 JAM£3 TYTLEU.

tliU pM»r piaii'i Ub<nirt, were, in the n«xt eniuing ediUon, no less Own forty.
two thoufand poundi. It ii proper, howeTer^ to mention that the porerty oT
Tytlar was cliiefly nitrlbuublo to hJi own impnidenoe and intemperate habits.
A highly chamcteriitic anecdote, relaltd by an anonymous biographer/ will
make this sufficiently clear, " A> a proof," says this writer, " of the extra-
ordinary stuck of general knowledge which Mr Tytler possessed, and with wtiat
ease he could write on any iuUjoct almost extempore, a gentleman in the dty
of Edinburgh once told me that he had occasion to apply to this extraordinary
lEinn for OM much waiter m would form a junction between a certain hia-
tory and iu contmualion to a Uter period. He found him lodged in ono of
those elfiTated apartroenti called garreU, and was informed by the old womaa
with wliotu he retided, that he could not see him, as he had gone to bed rather
the worse of Jiquor. Determined, howerer, not to depart without his errand,
he was ihowo into Mr Tyller's apartment by the light of a lamp, where ha
found hiiti in the tituation described by the landlady. The gentleman having
BcquaiiUed him with the nature of the business which brought him at so late an
hour, Mr Tytler called for pen and ink, and in a short time produced about a
page and a half of letter-press, which answered the end as completely as if it
had been the result of the most mature deliberation, previous notice, and a mind
undisturbed by any liquid capable of deranging iU ideas." A man who haa ae
liUle sense of natural dignity as to besot his senses by liquor, and who can ae
readily make hU intellect subaerrient to the purposes of all who may choose to
employ its powers, can hardly expect to be otherwise than poor; while hia very
poverty tends, by inducing dependence, to prevent him from gaining the
proper reward for his labours. Tytler, moreover, had tliat contentment with
poverty, if not pride in it, which is so apt to make it permanent. '' It is said,*^
proceeds his biographer, after relaling the above anecdote, " that Mr Tytler
was perfectly regardlem about poverty, so far as to feel no desire to conceal it
from the world. A certain gentleman who had occasion to wait upon him on
some particular business, found him eating a cold potetoe, which he continued
to devour with aa much composure, as if it had been the most sumptuous repaat
upon earth." It is mentioned elsewhere by the same writer that poor Tytlei
never thought of any but present necessities, and was as happy in the possession
of a few shillings aa a miser could be with all tlie treasures of India.

Besides his labours in the Encyclopaedia Britennica, to the third edition of
which he is said to have also contributed, (particularly the article ** Electricity,"
which was allowed to be excellent,) he vnn employed in the compilation of
many miscellaneoua books of an useful character, and jdso in abridgments. At
one time, while confined within the precincts of the sanctuary of Holyrood, he
had a press of his own, from which he threw off various productions, generally
without the intermediate use of manuscript In a small mean room, amidst the
squalling and squalor of a number of children, this singular genius stood at a
printer^s case, composing pages of types, either altogether from his own ideas,
or perhaps with a volume before him, the language of which he was condensing
by a mentol process little less difficult. He is said to have, in this manner,
fairly commenced an abridgment of that colossal work, the Universal History :
it was only carried, however, through a single volume. To increase the sur-
prise which all roust feel regarding these circumstanoes, it may be mentioned,
that his press was one of his own manufacture, described by his biographer, as
being '* wrought in the dli-ection of a smith's bellows ;'* and probably, there-
fore^ not unlike that iubiequently brought into Ufe by the ingenioui John Kulh-

1 See *' tt Biogmplijcat Sketch of tfao Life of James Tytleir;" EJIisbai^bj pHiitod hy And
for DenoTBn, Lavmnurket, 1S0&

JAMES TYTLER,

383

ven. This machine, howerer, is allowed to have been "but an indliftrent
one :'' and thug it wai with almost ererything in which Tytler waa concerned.
Everything was wonderful, considering the circumstances under which it waa
produced ; but yet nothing was in itself very good

Tytler was at one period concerned in a manufactory of magnesia, which,
howerer, did no good as long aa he waa connected with it ; though it is said to
have realized much money afterwards to hia partner and suooessors. Such was
constantly his fiite : his ingenuity and information, useless to himself, were per-
petually taken advantage of by meaner, but more steady minds. On the com-
mencement of the balloon mania, after the experiments of Montgolfier, Tytler
would try hia hand also at an aeronautic voyage. Accordingly, having con-
structed a huge dingy bag, and filled it with the best hydrogen he could pro-
cure, he collected the inhabitania of Edinburgh to the spot, and prepared to
make his ascent The experiment took place in a garden within the Sanctuary ;
and the wonder is, that he did not fear being carried beyond it, as in that
event, he would have been liable to the gripe of his creditors. There was no
real danger, however ; the balloon only moved so high, and so ikr, as to carry
him over the garden wall, and deposit him softly on an adjoining dunghill.
The croivd departed, laughing at the disappointed aeronaut, who ever after
went by the name,- appropriate on more accounts than one, of ** Balloon
TyUen'*

During his residence in the Sanctuary, Tytler commenced a small periodical
work, entitled the ^* Weekly Review,^ which was soon discontinued. Afterwards,
in 1780, a similar work was undertaken by a printer, named Mennons, and Tyt-
ler >vas employed in the capacity of chief contributor. This waa a cheap misoel-
lany, in octavo ; and the present writer, who once possessed a volume of it, is
inclined, on reooUection, to say, that it displayed considerable talent Tytler
also tried poetry, and was the author of at least one popular song — ** I canna
come ilka day to woo i^ if not also of another, styled *^ The bonnie brucket
Lassie.^ Bums, in hia notes on Scottish Song, alludes with surprise to the
&ct, that such clever ballads should have been the composition of a poor devil,
with a sky-light hat, and hardly a shoe to his feet One of the principal works
compiled by Tytler, waa the " Edinburgh Ge<^aphical Grammar," published
by Mr Kincaid, as an improvement upon the work bearing the name of
Guthriot which bad gone through numeroua editions, without any revisal to
keep it abreast of the march of informatioif. In the year 1793, Mr Tytler
was conducting a periodical work, entitled '* The Historical Register, or Edin*
bui^h Monthly Intelligencer,** and putting the last hand to a '* System of Sur-
gery," in three volumes, which he had undertaken for a surgeon in Edinburgh,
who wished to have the nominal credit of such a work, when he was suddenly
obliged to leave his native country. Having espoused the cause of parlia-
mentary reform, and joined the society entitled ** Friends df the People,** he
published, at the dose of the year 17 93, a political placard, which, in that
excited time, was deemed by the authorities to be of a seditions tendency.
Learning that the emissaries of the law had been sent forth in quest of him, ho
sought refuge in the house of a IHend in a solitary situation on the northern
skirts of Salisbury Crags ; whence, after a short concealment, he withdrew to
Ii^land; and thence, after finishing his '< System of Surgery," to the United
States of America. Having been cited before the High Court of Justiciary, and
failed to appear, he was outlawed by that tribunal, January 7, 1793. His
family, which he necessarily left behind him, was for some time in great dis-
tress ; nor did they ever rejoin him in the land of his adoption, poverty on both
sides, perhaps, refusing the necessary expenses. In America, Tytler resumed

IT. sn

394 SIR THOMAS U&aUHABT.

the eouiM of life which hod bMB-iutenuptod by political penocntioo. He m
conduction a new^per at Salem, when be died of a leYore cold, in tb« Iat»
ter part of the year 1803.

This extraordinary geniin was, perhaps, a fair tpeciasen of a dasa of litMsry
men who Ihred in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and were chaino-
terized by many of the geneial peculiariiies of that bad era, in a form only
exaggerated perhaps by their abilities. They wen generally open scoffers at what
their fellow creatores held sacred ; decency in prifaie life, they esteemed a mean
and unworthy rirtue ; to desire a fair share of worldly adnuitnges, was, with liiem,
the marlc of an ignoble nature. They proiiMsed boundless beneTolence, and a
doTOtion to the spirit of sociality, and thought that talent not only excused all
kinds of frailties* but was only to be effectually prored by such. The penesm
" content to dwell in decencies for efer," were the chief objects of their arev-
sion ; while, if a man would only neglect his affairs, and keep himself and
his family in a sufficient degree of poverty, they would applaud him as a pam-
gon of selfdenial. Fortunately, this class of infistuated beings is now nearly
extinct ; but their delusion had not been exploded, till it had been the cause of
mucfa intelleotual ruin, and the Titiation ef a koge share of our liteimture.

U

URQUHART, (Sn) Thokis, of Gremarty, as he designates hisMelf, was a
writer of some note, in the seventeenth century, but is much more remaikahle
for the eccentricity, than either the depth or extent, of his genius. Of thla
singular person, there is scarcely anything more known, than that be
was knighted, though for what serrice is not recorded, by Charles L at White*
hall ; and that baring, at an affcer period, m,, in 1651, accompanied his sue*
cesser, Charles IL, fiem Scotland, in his invasion ef England, be was taken
prisoner at the battle of Worce st er, After his capture, he was detained in
London on hia parole ; and this interval he employed in writing seme of the
extraordinary works whidi have perpetuated his name.

He appears to have travelled, at some period of his life, through the gieater
part of £arope, to have been well skilled in the modem languages of the
continent, and to have been tolerably aoeomplished in the fnahionable arts ef
the times in which he lived.

Meagre and few as these perticulan are, they yet eompvehend all thai is
left us regarding the history of a person, who, to judge by the expressions which
he employs, when speaking of himself in his writings, expected to fill no in-
considerable space in the eyes of posterity. Amongst Sur Thomases worka, ia a
translation of^ilabelais, remarkably vnU executed ; but, with this performance,
begins and ends all possibility of censdentieusly compliflMnting him on his
literary attainments. All tlie rest of his productions, though in each ocossiooal
scintillations of genius may be diseovenid, are mere rhapsodies, incoherent,
unintelligible, and extravagantly absurd. At the head of this curious list, ap-
pears ** The Discovery of a most exquisite Jewel, more precious than diaoMinds
inchased in gold, the like whereof was never seen in any age ; found in the
kennel of Worcester streets, the day after the fight, and six before the autumnal
equinox, Sic,ke,, anno 1651." This extraordinary work wae written, as its
author avows, for thQ extraordinary purpose ef helping him, by the dispby of
talent which he conceived it would exhibit, to the recovery of hia forfeited

1,1

It

WIIXIAM WAUfACB. 386

; ia Gronaity. As may be zwdilx conoMvedy howeTer, U had no such
«liect; and it will be at onoe uiident<Md why it thodld net, when it is meD.
tiooed that Cromwell was then j^rotector of Enghuid. The ** Jewel," its author
beastSy was written in fourteen days ; there being a struggle between him and
the printer, which should get on Astest ; a eontest which sometimes bore so
hard open him, that he was^ as he tells us, obliged to tear off fragments from
the sheet he was writing, in order to Iceep the press going* Tlie ** Jewel "
contains, awMwigst other piquant mattsns, the adrentures of the Admirable
Cricfatony and a pedigree of the author^ family, in which he traces the male
line, with great precision and accuracy, from Adam to himself; and on the
lemale side, from Etc to his mother ; regulating, aa he goes along, the great
evsMts in the history of the world, by the births and deaths of the Ur^uharts; to
which important events, he, with a pioper sense of the respectability and dig-
nity of his progenitors, makes them ^ulte subordinate.

This multifarious and elaborate work, although the most important of the
learned knight's productions, was not the first in point of time. In 1645, he
published, in London, a treatise on Trigonometry, dedicated, in very flowery
language, to ** the right honourable, and most noble lady, my dear and loving
mother, the lady dowager of Cromartie.'' This work, though disfigured by all
the faults of manner and style peculiar to its autI|or, yet discovers a knowledge
of mathematici^ which, when as s ociated with his otiier attainments, leaves no
doubt of his having been a man of revy superior natural endowments.

w

WALLACE, Wkujau, the celebrated asseiter of the national independence,
was bom probably about the middle of tlm reign of Alexander IIL, or the year
1370. Part of the circumstances which calM forth this hero from obscurity
are already detailed under the life of Baliol ; the remainder must here be
briefly noticed.

After the deposition of that unfortunate sovereign in 1396, king Edward L
overran Scotland with his troops, and united it, as he thought, for ever, to his
native dominion!. Many of Uie nobility who had taken part in the resistance
of king John, fell into his hands, and were sent prisoners to England, whither
Baliol himself, along with his eldest son, had also been sent He destroyed
or took away all the public records; and endeavoured to obliterate every
monument of the former independence of Scotland* He displaced those who
had held important ofllces under Balml, and be st o w ed them on Englishmen.
'Warenne, earl of Surrey, was appointed governor, Hugh de Cressingham
treasurer, and William Ormesby justiciary of Scotland } and having thus set-
tled all things in a state of seeming trawfoillity, be deported with the conviction
that he had made a final conquest of the country.

Scotland was now fated to experience the most flagrant oppiession and
tyranny. The unlimited exactions of Cressingham, the treasurer, a.volup.
tuous and selfish ecclesiastic, and the rigour of Ormesby, the justiciary,
in taking tlie oath of fealty, soon rendered them odious to the nobles ; while
the rapacity and barbarism of the aokiien laid the wretched inhabitants open to

396 YflhUAU WALLACE.

etwy tpMlM of wrong and intuit^ Thoto who Muied to take Uia oath of aU
legianoe to Edward were deprifod of their ettatet^ and in many cases of their
lires. Whaterer was Taloable in the kingdom was seised upon by its oppree-
son ; even the cause of female Tirtae was not held sacred under their unhal-
lowed domination ; and in shorty the whole country was laid under a military
despotism of the most unqualified and irresponsible kind. It was at this dark
hour of Scotland's history, when the cry of an oppressed people ascended to
hearen^ and the liberty for which they had so long struggled seemed to hare
departed for erer from them, that Su William Wallace arose^ to avenge the
wrrongs, and restore the rights of his country.

Sir William Wallace was descended from an ancient Anglo-Norman fiunily in
the west of Scotland. His father was knight of Elderslie and Auohinbothiey
in Renfrewshire, and his mother daughter of Sir Raynauld Crawford, sheriff' of
Ayr. Wynton, in his Chronicle, speaking of him, says,

Hys Fadyero wns a manly knydit,
Hys Modyere was a lady bricht,
Bsgotheno and bom tn mariage;
Hyi eldar« brodyere the herytage
Had and enjoyed in hla da}if.

According to some writers, his father and brother were both slain by the
IDnglisb at Lochznaben ; but firom the above lines it would seem, that the elder

■ U^iiLBoirni in his Bauce, h^ giTun the fulk^Tlt^ Uvdy pfeiu^ of the d?f IciiLble cbi!^
Ill iffbieli tLfl OoonLry uras reduiiicd : —

Fr^ Wcik ancnt OrkenavT
To MuU>T m^h hi Galbwny;
And iLurtyt oJl with Inglijs men.
SdiyrriJtJ\a nmi haU\ bop maid hB then]
And nlk/n othir ofii'tctlH,
Tbat for'lo ^weirti Land afferis,
IJe maid otY Inglis ruition;
Thiit worth} i Ihun sa rych MIodo,
And sa wvJikjt jtttd towtiIoii®,
ATid svm nawinni] and dtBjiitoun,
Tbat Koollis mem niycht do n)* tUIng
That i!uIt mydit pli\wi to thar Ukfi^.
Timr wyffis wild ihai ^A forly,
And ih4r dochtrjB diapitusly:
And gyJl" wiy of thai m llmir at war
Thai wntjt hym wele with grel imith^
For thai suld fyiid sone ettchesaoe
To put h\Tn \o destrucllcine.
And gxtrihnL uny man tluiJm by
Hiwl any thing that v^m worthy,
Aa honS} or hundj or otldr thing,
rtuit war plosand Lo thar liking;
With ryeht or vrnuig It hnvc ^d tfaal
And gyfciiy vm\t\ tSiilm wilhsay;
Thui suld svra. do, Ihfit ttiai snld t^no
Othir Iniid or iyii; or Jo) f! in p.^a.
For tluiJ dunipt thaim cfUr ttiair vfUL
Takruid mi k«p id rycbt na ekilK
A I <iufaat tiuii dempt Lhaim felonlv
For gud kfijcbiis lliat trnr worthy*!
For riilU cncb^ount'^ or than lam^
Thai lioiigyt ha iLu nt^kbjuni?,
Ali ibRt folk^ iliat cuir ^VLB fre,
. And in freilome wcunt for to be,

Thrmv tkirgret m}H!hanc*, ami lofyi
"War treljt ihnn sn wykkjUy^
' That thair fiiyn Ihair jttgis wur;
Quhat wnM^bltne* may mtai have mai ?

WILLIAM WALLAGB, 887

brother ^iir?ired hit father, and succeeded to the heritage. Sir William, who,
as already taentiooed, teems to hare been born about the middle of the reign
of Alexander III., received the rudimenls of hit education at Dunipace
in Stirlingshire, under tlie guardiauship of his unde, a wealthy ecclesiastic
there. This worthy loan is said to hare stored his nephew's mind with the
choicest maxims from the ancients, and in particular to hare imprinted upon
his memory the following Leonine renet, which Wallace often repeated in after
yean : .

Dioo tlbi reram, Libertas optima rerum,
Nunquam serrlli sub nesni rlrito^ fili.

Thus translated by Monipennie :

My Sonne (I say) Freedom Is best.
Then nerer yield to thrairs arrest.

From Dunipace Wallace was remored to a public seminary at Dundee,
where he contracted a friendship with John Blair, a Benedictine monk, who
afterwards became his chaplain. Blair, being an eye-witness to most of his
actions, composed a history of them in Latin ; but the work has not, unfortu-
nately, come down to us, though a liberal use has evidently been made of it in
the vernacular metrical work of Blind Harry.'

It would appear that Wallace first displayed his intrepid temper in a
quarrel at Dundee with a young English nobleman of the name of Selby,
whom, provoked by some wanton indigrnity, he stabbed with his dagger, %nd
slew en the spot. The consequence of this was, that he was obliged to seek
for safety among the wilds and fastnesses of his country,' where by degrees he
collected a little band, whom he inspired with his own patriotic sentiments.

Although deserted by their nobility , a ipirit of determined hostility to the
English government was strongly manifested by the great body of the peoplot
Throughout the country, numerous bands of armed peasants collected, and
harassed in every possible way the English soldiers. A nuMter spirit was only
^ranting to guide them to the restoration of their country^s independence — and
such they found in Sir WiDiam Wallace. He had erery personal and mental
qualification to constitute him the leader of his countrymen at this period of
oppreision. In the fragment ascribed to Blair, which is preservecT, he is de-
scribed at of a tall and gigantic stature, a serene couotenancey a pleasant as*
pect, large and broads-shouldered, but of no unwieldy bulk; liberal in VU-
gifti, jutt in his judgmenti, eloquent in difloomne, oompattionate to those in

^ The fbllowing lines oocur near the oond union of fiUnd Harry's performanoe :

Of WaUaoe' Life, who hath a better dkeel,

May show fbrth mora with wit and eloquence

For I to this have done my diligence,

After the prote, aoenjrom the Latin book^

Which Master Btair m his time undertook^

In fair Latin compiled lo an end, ftc
s CI There is a respedable man in Longforgan, Perthshire, who has in his possession a
slone, oslled VTaUaceU tlane. It uras what was formerly called in this country a bear ttontf
hollow like a large morUr, and was made use of to unhusk the bear or barley, as a prepara*-
tive for the pot, with a large wooden meil. Ions before barley.mills were kno>ra. Its
station xna on one side of the door, and covered with a flat stone for a seat when not other-
wise employed. Upon this stone Wallace sat on his wav from Dundee, when he fled after
killing Selby, the governor's son, and was fed with bread and milk by the goodwife of the
house, f^om whom the man who now lives there, and is the proprietor of the stone, is lineal-
ly descended ; and here his forbears (ancestors) have lired ever since, in nearly the same
station and circumstances for about 500 years. "^-Sto<u<tca/ Account of Scotland, xix. Ml.

398 WILUAM WAIL4CB.

dtftreu, aitiongproteolor and delivmtr «f tlw o ppw <d and poor, ojmI a ^nvof
eiiMRy to Hon and eJmaU. Fordwi and BucIuumui aW diaiacteriae hka
Af lupwrior to the rest of nMrnldnd la bodily riatvre, ttrangth, and aelirity; ia
bearinif oold and heat, thirst and hunfer, watching and faftigiM ; valiant and
prad^nty mafoaniaous and ditintarartad, undaontad in advetaity, modaai ia
protparity, and aniawtad by tho aunt ardant and unazftingnithablo Wra of hk
country. With thaca ^ualificationa, and with a band of followan who confided
ID him, and who were stimulated by the same wish of rescuing their coontry
from the tyranny under which it groaned, he soon beeame a terror to the
English, and performed many daring feats of ralour. His early and desultory
enterprises against the enemy were almost all successful ; and the result was,
that numbers who had looked with indignation at the ainrpatioa of tha erawn
by Edward, and who only waited for an opportunity of asserting the independ-
ence of Uieir country, flocked to his standard, until he found himself at ilia
head of a great body of men, all fired with the same patriotic spiriL

As WAllace*s party grew stronger, sereral of the Saottish nobles joined
him. Among these were, the steward of Scotland, and Sir Andrew Mur-
ray of Bothwell ; Sir John the Grahame, who becaaM Wallaoe** boson fiEiand
and confidant ; William Douglas, lord of Douglaidala, designaied tha Hardy ;
Sir Robert Boyd; Alexander de Lindesay ; Sir Richard Lundin; and Wishaart^
biihop of Glasgow. These either acted together, or angagad in separata ex-
peditions, as circumstances allowed. Ormesby^ the English justiciary, was
about this time holding his court at Soona. WaiUoe attacked him there, killed
some of his followers, and took many prisoners ; but the juafidary had tbs
good fortune to esca^ While WalUce was engaged in this expedition, or
some other equally daring, lord Douglas raooTared the castka of Duciadeer and
Sanquhar from the Euglidi.'

About the same period, a memorable adianture in tha history af WaUaoa^—
the burning of the barns of Ayr, — is said to hare taken place. According to
preralent tradition, the English gofernor of Ayr invited to a friendly oohf
ference many of tha Scottish gentry, in some large buildings, called tha Baraa
of Ayr, where, by a treacherous and premeditated stratagem, they were atsanglad
to deaUu Among those slain in this base manner, ware, Sir Raynauld Craw^
ford, sheriir of the county of Ayr, and nutensal uncle to WaUaoe ; Sir Nail

s The manner of hts taking the casUe of Sanquhar, is thus described by Hume of Goda-
enrft, in hts History of the House of Douglas :— *• There wss one Anderaon thatsenred ths
caMie, and ftimithed it with vvood and faeU Tha lord Douglas direels ono «f bis tmstleil
and stoutest of his aervanti to deal with him, or to find some msans to botn^ the castle to
him, and to bring him within the gates only. Anderaon, either pemiaded by entreaty, or
corrupted by money, gare my lonTa servant, called Thomas DicJtaon, his apparel and car-
riages*, who, coming to the csstle, was let In bv the porter for Anderson. Dfekson stabbed
the porter ; and, giving the signal to my lord, who by near by with liis companions, set open
the gates, and reoeiv^ them Into the oourt They, being entered, id lied the captain, and
the whole of the English garrison, and so remained masten of the place. The captain*s
name was Beau ford, who had oppressed the country tlkat lay near bim very insolently. One
of the English that had been In the casUe, esmpif^^f went to the other prrisons that were in
other castles and towns adjacent, and told them wbat had befiiUen his fellows, and withal
informed ihem how the castle might be recovered. Whereupon, Joining their forces titfether.
they came, and besieged it. Lord Douglas^ finding himself straitened, and niiprovfded of
neoenaries for his defence, did secretly oonrey his man, Dickson, out at a poeCen or.sosne
hidden passage, and sent him to WilHam Wallace Ibr aid. WaOaca was then in Lemiox ;
and, hearing of the danger Dougtas was In, made all the hasis hs oonld to come to bis relief:
Tha English, having notice of Walhtce's approach, left the siege, snd retlrad towards Bn^-
land, yet not so quiddy, but that Walhice, accompanied by Sir John Graham, did overtaiM
thom, and killed five hundred of their number, before they could puss Dalswlntmu By
these, and such like means, Wallace, with his assistants, having beaten the EngUsh ftmn
most parts of their strenrths In Scotland, did commit the care and custody of ths whole
country, from Drumlanrig to Ayr, to the chaise of the k>rd Douglas.'*

T7ILLUM WALIACB. 898

Montgomerie, Sir Bryee Blair, and Crystal of Seaton/ Wallace, on hearing
of thk drcttmitaiioe, inttaotly set forward towards Ayr, accompanied by hia
€»Dfedentes ; and, aboat midnight, surrounded the barns, where the English
aoldiers were cantoned, set them on fire, and either Icill^, or forced back to
perish in the flames, all who endearoured to escape. Many of the English
soldiers who lodged in a convent, were, at the same time, attacked and put to
the Bword by the friars : and this is still proverbially called the Friar of Ayr*s
Blesring. On returning from Ayr, with a body, it is said, of tlnree hundred
men, Wallace proposed to malse an attack upon Gla^ow, which was possesKd
by an English foroe of a thousand soldiers. With this purpose, he divided his
band into two, giving the command of one of them to Boyd of Auchinleck,'
with instructions to make a circuit and enter the town at an opposite point,
while he himself would engage in the front Wallace came in contact with
the English, near the present site of the college ; a desperate and well-oon-
tested combat ensued : the leader of the English fell beneath the sword of
Wallace ; and, on the appearance of Boyd, the English were tturown into con-
fusion^ and pttrsued, with great loss, as far as Bothwell casUe.

These, and similar gallant ezertiona in the cause of Scotland, at length
roused the indignation of the English mooarch, who had been at first indined
to treat then with disdain. Calling forth the military force on the north of
the Trent, he aent Sir Henry Percy, nephew of the earl of Surrey, and Sir
Robert Clifibid, into Scotland to reduce the insurgentSi at the head of an army
of forty thousand foot, and three hundred fully caparisoned horse. The Eng*
lish army aonrcbed through Annandale to Lochmaben, where, during the night,
their encampment was suddenly surprised, and attadeed with great fury by
Wallace and hia party, who, however, in the end, were obliged to retire. At
break of dawn, the Engltdi advanced towards Irvine, and soon discovered
the Scottish s^pudrons drawn up on the border of a small hike. The force of
the latter was anequal to a well-appointed army; but Wallace was among them,
and ttndor hia conduct they might have made a successful resistance. Dissen-
sions, however, arose aosong the chie& n to precedency ; and they were, per-
haps^ the more untractable from a conviction of their inferiority to the enemy.
Sir Richard Lundin was the first to set the example. Exdaiming that he
would not remain with a party at variance with itself, he left the Scottish camp,
and went over with his retainen to the English. He was followed in this by
Bruce, (^tflerwards the hero of Bannockbum,) who had lately joined the Scot-
tish army ; by the steward of Scoihuid, and his brother ; by Alexander de
Lindesay; WillUun, lord of Dooglasdale ; and the bishop of Glai^ow. All
these ackunowledged their ofibnces, and for themselves and their adherents
made submission to Edwmrd. A treaty' to this efieet, to wliich their seals were
appended, waa drawn up in Norman French, and a copy transmitted to Wol-

« Baihour, a crsdiUs autlkor, nys, (sBuding to Crj^bU of Soaton,)

It wes gret sorrow sekyrly.
That 80 worthy perroune as he,
Said on sie manner hanj^vt be:
This aata emkt his wortaynes,
And ^Cravfford als Sc/tyr Ranald iMf,
And Schyr Bwce als the Blar,
Hangyi in UUa beame m Ar,

The BruoCt iii* 280«

• The ftithcr of this warrior, in consequence of the gallantry he displayed at the battle of
Largs, ohtahied a grant of lands In Cunningham from Alexander 111.

• It if dated 9th July, 1897. See Rymer, Fttdera, vol ii. p. 774

400 WILUAM WALLACE.

laoe ; but this bniTe and patriotic man rejected it with disdain. It U stjppo^sd
that Sir John Grnhame and Sir Robert Boyd were not present on thii oecnftton ;
their names are not in the treaty ; and historians say, that Sir Andrew Murniy
of Bolhwell was the only baron who remained with Wallace, after LhiA diigraco-
ful desertion.

Undismayed by the occurrence, Wallace retired to the north, after v^uimg
his indignation on the castle and lands of the bishop of Glasg^aw, irho uns the
negotiator of the treaty, and who, by his intrigues, had the rommon fortune of
being suspected by both parties. There are no authentic tnemoriali regnrdtng-
the particular actions of Wallace during the summer months that inter rened be-
tween the treaty of Irvine and the battle of Stirling ; but he seems Lo hare been
actiTO and successful in raising a formidable army. The spirit of his country-
men was now roused. Knighton, an old English historian, informs us, tlmt
*' although the nobility of Scotland had attadied themsel?es to Engkod, the
HEART ov THB PBOPLB WAS WITH Wallacb, and the community of the land obeyed
him as their leader and their prince." The cause of this is obvious. Many,
or most of the nobles, were Normans, of recent connexion with Scotland, still
disposed to look rather to England than to Scotland as their country, and to
the English monarch, than to the Scottish, as their sovereign : while the cooi-
mon people had no attachment but to their native soil, and their native prince.
Walbce was one of the Anglo-Normans who sided with the body of the
people, in this quarrel, and it is easy to see that much of the jealousy of the
nobility towards him, was excited by the reflection, that he deserted the cause
ef his kindred aristocracy, for the sake of popular and national rights.

It was when Wallace had succeeded in expelling the English from the castles
of Forfar, Brechin, Montrose, and nearly all their strongholds on the north of
the Forth, and had just begun the siege of the castle of Dundee, that intelli-
gence reached him of the English army, under the command of the earl of Sur-
rey and Cressingliam, the treasurer, being on its march to oppose him.
Charging the citizens of Dundee to continue, on pain of death, the siege of the
castle, he hastened with all his troops to guard the important passage of the
Forth, before Surrey had passed the bridge at Stirling, and encamped behind
a rising ground in the neighbourhood of Uie abbey of Gambuskenneth. His
army, at this time, amounted to forty tliousand foot, and a hundred and eighty
horse. That of the English was superior in numbers, being fifty thousand foot,
and one thousand horse. The Steward of Scotland, the earl of Lennox, Sir
Richard Lundin, and others of the Scottish barons, were now with the Englith,
and, on the ai-my reaching Stirling bridge, they requested Surrey to delay an
attack, till they had attempted to bring Wallace to terms. They soon returned
with the information, tluit they had ikiled in their efforts at a recondliation, and
that they had not been able to persuade a single soldier to desert Surrey, who
seems to have been aware of the danger of passing the bridge, as a last resource,
sent two friars to offbr a pardon to Wallace and his followers, on condition that
they would lay down their arms. But the spirit of Wallace was unsubdued. *' Go
back to your masters,'' he said, ** and tell them, that we stand not here to treat
of peace, but to avenge the wrongs, and restore the freedom of our country.
Let the English come on — we shall meet them beard to beard.** On hearing
this defiance, the English impatiently demanded to be led to the attack;
but Surrey, alive to the strong position occupied by tlie Scots, hesitated, until
overcome by the taunts and impatience of Cressinghanu ** Wliy, my lord,**
cried this insolent churchman, ** should we protract the war, and spend the
king^s money ? Let us forward as becomes us, and do our knightly duty."

The English army began to cross the bridge, led by Sir Marmaduke Twenge

WILLIAM WALLACE.

401

and Gbeningham; and when nearly the half had paised, Wallace chained them
with his whole force, hefore they had time to fonn, and threw them into inex.
trieable confusion. A ?ast multitude was slain, or drowned in the river in afc>
tempting to rejoin Surrey, who stood on the other side, a spectator of the dis-
comiiture. Gressingham, the treasurer, was among the first who fell ; a»d so
deeply was his character detested, that the Scots mangled hit dead body, and
tore the skin from his limbs.^ Twenge, by a gallant struggle, regained the
bridge, and got over to his iriends. A panic seized the English who stood
with Surrey, spectators of the rout Abandoning their ^Tagons and baggage,
they fled precipitately, burning the bridge, (which was of wood,) to prevent
pursuit. The earl of Lennox and the Scottish barons, perceiving this, threw
off their mask of alliance with £d>vard ; and, being joined by part of the
Scottish army, who crossed the river by means of a ford at some distance from
the bridge, pursued the English with great vigour as far as Berwick, which wns
soon abandoned, and taken possession of by tlie victorious army. It is not
known how many of the English fell at this battle, but the slaughter must hare
been great, as few of those who crossed the bridge escaped ; and the Scots,
smarting under the cruel insolence and rapacity with which they had been
treated, gave little quarter. On the side of the Scots, few of any note were
slain, with the exception of Sir Andrew Murray of Bothwell, the faithful com«
panion of Wallace, whose son, some time after, was made regent of Scotland.

This decisive engagement took place on the 11th of September, 1297 ; and
its consequences were important. The castles of Dundee, Edinburgh, and
Hoxburgh, immediately surrendered to Wallace : and in a short time not a for-
tress or castle in Scotland remained in the hands of the English. Thus,
through the means of one man, was Scotland delivered from the iron yoke of
Edward, and her name and independence among the nations of the earth
restored.

Wallace was now declared, by the voice of the people, governor and guardian
of the kingdom, under Baliol.^ About the same time, a severe dearth and fa-
mine, the consequence of bad seasons and the ravages of war, afflicted Scot-
land; and Wallace, with the view of procuring sustenance for his followers, and
of profiting by his victory at Stirling, resolved upon an immediate expedition
into England. For the purpose of raising a formidable army, he commanded
tliat from every county, barony, town, and village, a certain proportion of
fighting men, between the ages of sixteen and sixty, should be levied ; and al-
though the jealousy of the Scottish nobility began to be more than ever excited,
and many endeavours were made by them to prevent cordial co-operation, be
soon found himself at the head of a numerous body of men, with whom he
marched towards the north of England, taking with him, as his partner in com-
mand. Sir Andrew Murray of Bothwell, son of the gallant knight who fell at
the battle of Stirling bridge. The approach of the Scottish army, struck the
inhabitants of the 'northern counties with terror : they abandoned their dwel-
lings, and, with their cattle and household goods, took refuge in Newcastle.
** At this time," says Hemingford, an English historian, " the praise of God
was unheard in any church or monastery throughout the whole country, from
Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the gates of Carlisle ; for the monks, canons regular,

7 It Is SBid in an old MS. Chronide, that Wallace made a sword-belt of Creadngham's
skui. This may be the origin of the story, that the Scots made fftihs of his skin ; an absur-
(Hty upon which lord UaiJes is at the pains of passing a Joke.

• His titie runs thus in a document of his own lime :— «< Willelmns Walays^ milc&
eusios regni Scotia, et doctor exerdtuum ejuadem, nomine pnedari Prindpis Domini
Johannis, Dei gmtia, regis Sootlia illustris, de consensu communitatis ejusdem.^

402

1¥ILIJAK\VALLACS.

and other priests, who ware ministon of tihe Load, fied». wth the whole people^
from the face of the enemy l aor wbb there any to <^^e them, exoept iha^
now and then, a few EngUih, who belonged to the caatle of Alawick» and otfamr
■trengtha^ Tontured from their aafe-holda, and alew some atiaggleii» But thoeo
were slight auccetsea ; and the ScoU roved over the country, &om the Feaal oC
St Luke^B to St Martin'a Day, inflicting upon it all the miseKiea of Bareatndnod
rapine and bloodahed.''* All the tract of country, from Gockermouth and OnTliJoy.
to the gatea of Newcaatle, \xbb laid waate; and it waa next determined to uuadft
the county of Durham. But the winter set in with auch severity, and proviaioaa
became so scarce, that multitudea of the Scota perished through cold and ftmiao,
and Wallace was obliged to draw ofl^ his army. It seems that he endeavoured in
vain to restrain many outrages of his foUowen. The canons of Hexham, a laig<e
town in Northumberland, complained to him tliat their monastery had been sa*
crilegiously plundered, and that their Eves won in dangev. '' Remain with
me,** he said ; ''for I cannot protect you from my aoldiers, when you are out
of my presence.^ At the same time, he granted them a charter,, by whicli the
priory and convent were admitted under the peace, of the king of Scotland ;
and aU persons interdicted, oa pain of the loss, of life, from, doing them injury
This curious document still exists. It is dated at Hexham on the fith of Novem^
ber,, 1297.

After his return from England, Wallace proceeded to adopt and enforce those
pablic measures, which he considered necessary for securing the liberty of hia
country. With the consent and approbation of the Scottish nobility, he con*
ferred the office of constabulary of Dundee, on Alexander, named Skirmischur,
or Scrimgeour, and his. heirs, *'for hit faithful aid in bearing the banner of
Scotland.''^' He divided the kingdom into military districts, in oi-derto secure
new levies, at any time when the danger or exigency of the state required
them. He appointed an officer or sergeant over every four men, another of
higher power over every nine, another of still higher authority ovei;' every
nineteen ; and thus, in an ascending scale of disciplined authority, up to tlie
officer, or chiliarch, who commanded a thousand men. In other respects, his
administration was marked by justice and sound judgment He waa liberal in
rewarding those who deserved well of their country, by their exertiona during
its late struggle for liberty ; and strict in punishing all instances of private
wrong and oppression. But the envy and jealousy of the higher nobility, who
could ill brook the elevation of one whose actions had thrown them so much
into the shade, perplexed the councils, and weakened the government, of the
country, at a time when tlie political existence of Scotland depended on ixa
unanimity.

Edward vms in Flanders when the news reached him, that the Scots, under
Sir William Wallace, had entirely defeated Surrey, driven every English sol-
dier out of their country, invaded England, and, in short, had thrown off
effectually the yoke with which he had fettered them. Inflamed against them,
at this overthrow of his exertions and schemes, he issued orders to ail tlie forces
of England and Wales to meet him at York ; and, concluding a truce witli
France/ hastened home, to take signal vengeance on the assertora of their
liberty, and to make final conquest of a country which had proved so con-
tumacious and untractable. At York, he held a pariiament, on the Feast of

* In retaliation, loid Robert ClifTord twice invaded Annandale with an army of tw«nty
Uioosand men and one hundred hone. In his second innmd, the town of Annan, whioh bo>
lonsfod to Robert Bruce, and the church of G^sbome, were burnt and plundered. This is
said to have determined Bruce to desert the English, and join the party of WallaoBi

U This grant is dated at Torphichen, 90th s£iich, ISOa.

WILLIAM WALLACE.

403

FenteooBt, 1396, wherB, to-iecure the liearty co-operBtion of his suljecto in big
hiTiuion of 'Scotland, he passed seTeral gracious and popular acts, and came
nnder a promise of ratifying more, should he return Tictorious, He eoon found
hhntelf at the head of an anny,^ormidab1e in nnmber, and splendid In equip-
ment It consisted at ffrst of seren thousand fully caparisoned horse, and
eighty thousand infantry ; and these were soon strengtliened by the arrival of
a powerful reinforcement from Grnscony. A large fleet, laden with prorisions,
had orders to sail up the Frith of Forth, as the army advanced.

The English rendezvoused near Roxburgh ; and, about midsummer, ad-
vanced into the country by easy marches. A party under Aymer de Yallotns,
earl of Pembroke, landed in the north of Fifk Walboe attacked and routed
them in the forest of Black ironside, I2th June, 1298. Among the Scots,
Shr Duncan Ball^ur, eheri/T of Fife/ iras the only penon of importahce who fell
in Ihis engagement.

This partial euocess, however, oT the ewr^aettve guardian of his country,
could not affect the terrible array that was now coming against him. He had
no army at all alAe to compete with Edimrd ; and fan situation was rendered
more perilous by tlie mean fears and jealousies of the nobility. Many of these^
alarmed for flieir estates, abandoned him in Iris need ; and otlien, who yet re-
tained a spirit of resistanee tovmrds the English ei^remacy, envied his eleva*
tion, and sowed dinensions and divisions among his oounciL Wallace, how-
ever, with a ephrit equal to all einergencies, endeavonfed to collect and conso-
lidate the strength of Ihe country. Among the ^barons who repaired to his
standaid, only tiiie four following are reoorded: John Gootyn of Badenoch, the
younger ; Sir John Stewart of Bonkill ; Sir John Graham -of Ai>ercom ; and
Macduff, the gvnnduncle of the young ^earl of Mh, Rol>ert Bruce remained
with a strong body of his vassala in the tatstle of Ayr." As the army of Wallace
was altogether unequal to the enemy, he adopted the only plan by which he
ooidd hope to overcome it He fell back slowly at Edward advanced, leaving
some garriaona in the most important castles, driving off all supplies, wasting
the country through which the English were to pass, and fiviting till a scarcity
of previsions compelled iliem to retreat, and gave faira a favourable opportunity
of attaddng them.

Edward proceeded as "fer ai Khrkliston, a tillage six'nrileB vrwi of Edin-
bttv|^, without meeting any resistance, except from tlie -castle of Dirleton, whidi,
after a resolute ceeistanee, surrendesed to Anthony Beck, bishop of Durham.
But a devastating army had gone before liini, and his soldiers began to suffer
severely from the scarcity of provisions. At Kirkliston, therefore, he deter-
muMd to wait the airival of his fleet from Berwkk ; but, oning to contrary
winds, only a few ships reached the coast ; and, in the course of a month, his
army was reduced to absolute famine. An insurrection, also, arose among the
English and Welsh cavalry, in which the latter, exasperated nt the death of
several of their companions, threatened to join the Scots. ** Let them go,"
said Edward, courageously: " I ahall then have an opportunity of chastising all

11 The story told by Fordun of the interview between WaUiuse and Bruce on Ihe banks of
the Carron, aiier the battle of Falkirk, is not well borne out by the circumstances of the par-
ties. Bruce was not present at the battle, and at that period did not belong to the English
interest; which is proved by the fact, that, after tbatiittal engagement, he fled from his
castle at Ayr on the approach of Edward. At the same time, it must be confessed, that he
held a suspicious neutnillty with regard to Wallace; and, i£ we can reconcile ourselves to the
probability of a meeting between these two heroes, it is not difficult to suppose that it
might be, in its general bearing, saeh as it is represented. About 18L7 or 1818^ aa
expatriated Seoteman offered a prize to any one who should write the best poem on this
heroic interview. Airs Uemans, who afterwards distiDgutshed herself by many t>saathiil
effusions in verse, was the successful competitor.

404 WILLIAM WALLAGX.

my enaniias at the lame time.^ Worn out, however^ by a daily in oron i ing fa-
mine, Edward wai at last obliged to abandon hia protpecta of ambition and re.
venge, and to iwie orden for a retreat to the eaitern borders. It vat at this
criltcai moment, when Uie English army began to break up their quarteit, that
Edward, through the treachery of two Scottish lordi, Patrick, earl of Dunbar,
and the earl of Angus, received information that the Seots lay encamped in tbo
forest of Falkirk ; and that it was the inlenUon of Wallace to surprise him by
a night attack, and to hang upon and harass his rear. ** Thank God," cried
Edward: ** they shall not need to follow me ; I shall go and meet them." U'ls army
was immediately marched towardsFalkirk, and on the evening of the day on which
he received the information, encamped on a heath near Linlithgow.

Next morning, (July Sdnd, 1898,) the Scottish army was descried forming
on a stonyfield at the side of a small eminence in the neighbourhood of Fal-
kirlc It did not amount in number to the third part of the English, and, weak
as it was, is said by tbe Scottish historians to have been atill further weidcened
by fatal dissensionti Wallace, however, seems to have availed himself
of every advantage which hie situation and circumstances permitted. He
placed his army on the front of a morass, and divided his infantry into four
compact bodies cff a circular form. In these masses composed of his spearmen,
and called Shillrons/.' consisted the strength of the Scottish army; for
they were linked together so closely that it was extremely difficult to break
them." In the spaces between the Shilirons were placed the archers, commanded
by Sir John Stewart, of Bonkill, and at some distance in the rear was drawn up
the cavalry, amounting to no more than a thousand. When he had thus drawn up
his little army, and the enemy appeared in view, Wallace said pleasantly to his
msn, ** I have brought you to the ring ; let me see how you can ^nce.*'^^

The English moiiardi arranged his army into three divisions; the first
headed by fiigot, earl Marshall, and the earls of Hereford and Lincoln ; the
second by the bishop of Durham and Sir Ralph Basset of Drayton ; and
the tliird by Edward himself, who, although wounded on the prerious night by
a kick from his horse, was yet able to mingle in the engagement The
first dirision led on the attack ; but was checked by the morass that stretdied
nlong the front of the Scottish position, and obliged to make a circuit to
the west. Meanwhile, the second line, under the command of the bishop of
Durliam, and Basset, inclined to tlie right, turned the morass, and advanced
towards the left flank of tlie Scottish army. The bishop proposed to defor the
attack till the rest of the army should advance. ** Return to tliy mass, bishop,**
said Basset, sneeringly. ** Not so,*' answered the bishop : *< we are all soldiers
to-day ; lead on T' At the same moment the first division made its appearance,

U This word is used by Barbour, in Us descripiion of the bstUe of Bannoc^burn :—
< For Scotnnen that them iumi esnyed.
That then wure Su a thUtrum all*
i> < Ther ibrmost convey ther bukkis togidere setter
Ther speres, pofnt over pdnr, po nre, and so thikke
And fast toaidere Jo)^!!, to se, it was ferUke»
Als a cBstelie thei siode, that wore walled with stone.
The! wende no man of bkxle thoigh them suld baf gone.*
lA «« , . ,. Langtcfi^ Ckronkie, book II.

W The words of Wallace were, **Ikmf brochi you to Ike rwg; kap, gifvou cmn." The
rvtg means the dome d la randg. Hap Is an oM word for tUmce. ^ ^ ^
*The dansand prieMis, depit Saiii,
Bappand and aingand.'

, I>ostf2cM*4 iBfvid, viH. 81.

Lord Hailes supposes m» to be an obsolete verb of the noun and adieciive cimiung, stm
used as, " Let my right hand forget ils cunning;* to. ; and truishites "gif you cun," if
ym ham tkOl. But we shouM imagine cun to be simply can, oormpUy spelt ^^<*Gff
)ou cun,"— j^yoi* can. r/ -^ r j mt-

WILLIAM WALLACE. 406

having extricated itself from the raorasB ; and they both ntCacked the Scottish
•hiltrons aimultaneotisly. The shock was tremendous. The English cavalry
was fully caparisoned and armed , and made desperate endeavours to break
tlirough the columns of the Scottish infantry ; but were gallantly withstood*
'* They could not penetrate that wood of spears/* says one of their historians.
Tlieir charges were repeatedly repulsed, notwithstanding tliat th^ Scottish
horse, commanded by some of the nobles at vari«ince with Wallace, either from
mean jealousy towards him, or fe<ir at the number and force of the English, did
not come to the assistance of the infantry, but left the field without striking a
blow. Edward then brought fonvard his numerous body of ardiers, a dass of
soldiers for which England was long celebrated, and who, as a proverbial illus-
tration of the accuracy of their aim, were said to carry each twelve Scotsmen's
lives under their girdle, because they generally bore twelve arrows in their belt
These by thick and incessant volleys dreadfully galled the Scottish columns.
The ardiers on the Scottish side were a small but select body from the forest of
Selkirk, ^ under the command of Sir John Stewart In one of the charges.
Sir John was thrown from his horse. His faithful bowmen crowded around
him, and tried to rescue him; but in vain. They all perished; and their
bodies were afterwards recognized by the English, as being the tillest
and handsomest on the field. Still the infantry under Wallace did not
give way, and still ms sivord flashed with terrific efiTect, amidst the throng of
the English cavalry, and the unceasing shower of the English arroAvs. But the
firm columns of the Scots were at length disunited by dreadful gaps of slain,
and they could no longer withstand the overpowering numbers borne against
them. MaodufiT and all his vassals from Fife were killed, and at last Sir
John the Gniliam fell by the side of Wallace. To him, of all others, Wallace
was particularly attached; and when he saw him fall, he plunged with ten-
fold fury into the thickest of his enemies, dealing with his irresistible arm death
and destruction around him. It was impossible, however, that with the hand-
ful of men to which his army was now reduced, he could for any length
of time successfully oppose the strength brought against him. He was obliged
at last to make good his retreat, and gained a neighbouring wood, leaving fif-
teen thousand of his followers dead on the field.'"

According to Blind Harry, Wallace, when the English had removed to Lin-
lithgow, returned to the field of battle, in order to obtain the body of
his friend. Sir John the Graham. This is somewhat countenanced by the fiict,
that Sir John lies buried in the church-yard of Falkirk, having the following
inscription on hia grave-stone, which has been several times renewed :
Mbmts mamdqvx PoTiMt IT Vallab Fidvs Achates,

COMDITUB HlC GnAJilVS, BBLLO IlfTBariCTUS AB A NO LIS,

XXII jvui Akmo 1208.
Here lies Sir John the Gmme, baith vrlgbt and wide,
Ane of the cheefii who rescewit Scotland thrise*,
Ane better knicht not to the world waa lent
Nor MrBS gude Grame of truth and hardiment.i7

1< T/itf Forette of Sdkyrke in those days comprehended not only the tract now known by
that nnme, but also the upper parts of Qydesdale and Ayrshire.

M The aooounU of the loss on the Scottish side at the battle of Falkirk are extremely
various. Fifteen thousand is stated above, on the authority of two English Chronicles^ viz.
the Norwich Chronicle, and the Chronideof John £venden.« It seems nearer probability
than any other account Some of the English historians make it more than the nctuiil
amount of Wallace's army: Walsirvham, 60,000; and HemingfonI, 60/XX). Trivet
makes it 20,000 ; and Buchanan 10,000. From these aooounts wo may, at all events, con.
elude with certainty, that the Soots sufFered severely. There is no account of the English
loss. Only two men of note are mentioned as having fallen on their side \ Sir Brian de
Jaye, and the prior of Torphtchen.

17 His grace the duke of Montrose possesses an antique sword, on which is the following
inscription:

406

IfffllUAM WAliACE,

Blind Ifnrry'i dMcHpiioti of Uie 4iitre«s of Wallace, when he savv the body
of hit b«lof«d /rietid nnd brnlber in nrnu^ h ItMickiing- in the eictreow^

Tbe corw of Grajnw fy"" wiio^i b{^ raumad maltt.
When thfle lum tind, aad Gtidtt Wallace Inm navr,
Hfl lydil>t down, and hynt him frae tliame aw
In armja up. Bchaldtind liif pale (ncSf
He ki-K) t him, and cryt full oft, * Alacu J
My lust brother in wnrld that crlr 1 hnd 1
?llj' Biild fre)Tid (|iiben 1 wm hardwl «2id L
My hopt, my kdl] 1— ihow wbs in mahrt htmoiar 1
My fnkh, my help, mr gtrotifthcnur in itoar I
Iti lliee ^tms wit, fh^dom, and hatdin«9i ;
lit ihw W3S ireut^i, manliood, nnd nobiln«o;
Jn tlieu wiH rvwU ; in thM wii govcrmns ;
Ln itiee viaa virtue, wlUbouteu tutiuji ^
la U4oe Uwty ; in tliee wnijrrel largnc^;
In ibtje geuitkei in ib&o was sledfiisuiisss.
ThovF wna jfrei cause a rf winning otrSeollauJ,
TLodi I bagati, iu;d U)k tbti nar on hnnd.
I row to Godt tlifit has Uic world In wauld,
Th^ dead sill be to South«im full dLK\T laldl
Msrtyn- ti]o*T alt for ScotliimH* nclit nnd mo !
I fsll tli« TCtif e, or eJs thccefor soil deeT

The remit ini of th# Scottkh army, in their retreat^ burnt tba I own and

en«t1(} <if Stirling, Hd^^-ftrd, i^ho had uot reooTOred froni the kick he re-
f^lred from hii hotie, totik tip hii qiiffrterfl for lome time In the conrant of the
DoiTiinicani there , which had esrtiped the fhim^i ; and ient a diriiion of hii
flrmy into Clnckmnnnanshire, Monteilh, nnd Fifethire, who laid niule the
cmintry. He then miLrched to the we<t^ through ihe drstrtet of Clydeadnle to
I/ftnarki and nf^ernrnrftv to Ayr^ where he found the oaf tie fonnUen^ nnd btirnt
by Rfibert Bmce, A n-nnt of proriijoni prevented Edward from purvuing
Bruce into (inlloiTtiy, ni he Intended. After cnplurinp: Bnroe'i mstle of Loeli-
mabeo, ho was constrained to march through Annan dnle in la Eng-bnd, leaving
Scotland only partially subdued, nnd ready to rUe into a neiv rei-olt agnin»t
him.

Wallace, after the defent of Falkirk, feel In* how little he waa fitpported by
Ihe nobility, nnd how mur;h janlmray and envy hia eleTntion had occnsf oned, r#-
itgned the offlr^e of ^vornor of Gotland, refervinf lo hlnvielf no other privi-
lege than ihat of fighting ngain«t the enemies of hii f^ountry^ at the head nf
luch fnendi aa might bo inclhied to adhere to him. His resigtmtion naa fol-
lowed by the ole<;Lion of a vegenry, conaiatingj at first, of John Comyn of
Badenoch, the younger, and John de Sonlia ; to whom were afterwards added,
B% partnei-a in ndmintstrationj Bnice, earl of Cnrrick, and Willimu Lamberton,
biahop of Saint Andrew*.

Thfl firit enterprise of Ihe new goremora waa aifainst the caatle of StJiling^,
which Fd^vard had left ffnrrwoned. To preierve lliat important place from
falling into ihdr bands, Edward determined upon another expedition into Scot-
land, and with ttmt purpow a^eml^led hia army at Berwick ; but the English

SJr lone ye (imme, rpnry vlchl nnd w^-sp.
One of ye dtetifst ruMitrii fwotlnnd thr)^,
Fiivght rhh ja svsrii, and ni^r ijioul sdiamiv
Commfindit nana to Ix-ii It tiot his nnmt?.

Simmons Hiiiort/ i^fSltrihi^sftir^,

WILLIAM 'WALLAGB. 407

ImvodBi to inhoBi Im bad not confirmed oortain pririlegjM oi he had premised^
refuied to go further, urging tho indemeocy o£ tho season, and the danger qf a
winter eanpaigo. Uo iras^.therefoie, obliged to abandon his design , and to
allow the English, who were beleaguered in Stirling, to capitulate.

In the course of the following year^ (1300,) Edward, by cenfirmiag the
charters of the bacons^ waa enabled, once more, to prosecute his great object,
the invasion and subjugation of Scotland. At. the head of a great army, he
entered the eeuntry by the western marches, and penetrated into Gallmfay*
He waa here met by a petition from the governors and community of Scotland,
requesting thai John. Baliol^ their lawful king, should be permitted to reign
peaceably over them ; but he n^iected it with disdain.. The Scottish army, now
profiting by experienoey confined itself to cutting off the. suppUes of the enemy ;
and Edwaid^ after spending &3» months in tba southern part of the country,
without efiSectiog anything material » found himself compelled, by the approach
of winter, and the scarcity of previsions^ to return to England. Before leaving
Sootland, when na olhev allesnaiive remained, he a&cted to listen to the me*
diation of Franoe, and concluded a truce with the Scoti^ at Dumfries, SOth Oo»
tober, 1300, i» endure Ull Whitsunday, laOU

Meanwhile a» new eonpetikor ta the croim of Scotland arose in the person of
his holinees^ pope Bonifiwe VIIL This singular daim bad been suggested to
the RoBMUi see by certain Soottiah commissionem^ who wished his holiness, to
interpose in behsif of their distracted country. The arguments upon which it
waa founded, vrv altog et he r absurd^ (puch aa» ** thai Seothwd haa been mini*
culoudy converted to the Ghcistian faith, by the nelics of St Andrew," &c.).; but
Edward's own pretensions were dearly and justly refuted. As it was dangerous
for the English monarch to break, with tlie pope at this time, owing to several
continental arrangssnents^ Edward laid the affiur before hie barons, who pro-
tested, with much spirit, thai they would not allow the rights of their sovereign
to be interfered with by any foreign potentate ; and, to soothe his bolineis,
he sent him a long letter in hie own name, ** net in the form Ow he says) of an
answer to a plea, but altogether extn^udicially;" wherein he enumerated all his
claims to the superiority, of Scotland, from the days of hia '' famous predecessor,
Brutus, the Trqian,^ to hia owm

In the ensuing summer, as soon as the tnioe had expired^ Edward, acconi>
panied by his son, the prince of Walea» and a |paat army, marched again into
Sootland, and ^ant the winter ai Linlithgow, wheie he ratified another truce
with the Scots, to endure until Saint Andrew's day, 1303, and soon afterwards
returned to London. On the expiry of this seeooid trace, hoeing gained Pope
Boniface over to his interest, he sent Sir John de Segrave, a celebrated warrior
into Sootland, with an army of 30,000 men, chiefly consisting of cavalry.
Segrave, when near Rodin, on bis march to Edinhvrgh, separated his
army into three divisions ; the first led by himself, the second by Ralph
de Manton, called from hia office of pcy-master the Coflerer, and the
third by Robert de Neville. These dividoBe, having no communication
established between them, were succesuvely attadsed and defeated atRoslin, on
the a4fch February, 1303, by a smdl body of 8000 boiM, under the command
of Sir John Comyn and Sir Simon Fnter. Ralph the Coflerer and Neville
were slain. Segrave escaped, and fled, with the remains of his army, to
England, leaving behind an knmense booty, .

But while the Scots thus persevered in defenee of their country, Fbilip le
Bel, king of France, upon whose alliance they had cMifided, conduded
a treaty of peace with Edward, (80th May, 1303,) in which they were not in-
eluded ; and the English monarch, being now freed from foreign wars.

_

408

WILLUH IVALLACE.

bent lilt whole force to make a complete oooqoeet of Soodand, which had long>
been the ruling object of hit ambition and exertiont. Hie pamtont were now
exasperated to the utmoat by the repeated Ikilorea of hie attempts, and he de.
dared hia determination either to subjugate it entirely, or to raze it utterly
with fire and sword, and blot it out from existence in the list of natiora.
With this purpose, he marched into Scotland at tfie head of an army too powerful
to be resisted by an unfortunate people, already broken down by the scoarati-
lated miseries that attended their long continued conflict with an une^iual enemy.
The inhabitants fled before him, or submitted to his power, and his whole
course was marked by scenes of slaughter, derastation, and ruin. The
goremor, Comyn, Sir Simon Eraser, and Sir William WaUace, with their fol.
lowers, were driven into the fields and fiistnesses of the country, from which
they only issued in irregular predatory expeditions against detachments of the
English. Edward continued his rictorious progrem as Ar aa the extremity of
the province of Moray, and the only fortress that opposed his course was
the castle of Brechin, which, after an obstinate resistance, surrendered on the
death of Sir Thomas Mauie, its gallant commander, who was killed by a atone
discharged from one of the besieging engines. Edward then returned to
Dunfermline, where he spent the winter in receiving the submission of those
who hnd not made their peace with him during his progress through the
kingdom. Almost all the nobles gave in submissiona. Bnioe sarrendered hitn»
self to John de St John, the English ^varden ; and at last Comyn, the governor,
and hia followers, delivered themselves up to Edward, under a stipulation
for their lives, liberlies, and lands, and a subjection to certain pecuniary
penaltlea From this stipulation Edward excepted the following, as being
more obstinate in their rebellion: Wishart, bishop of Glasgow, James,
the Steward of Scotland, Sir John Soulis, the late associate of Comyn in
the government of the kingdom, David de Qraham, Alexander de Lindeaay,
Simon Eraser, Thomas Bois, and Wijliam Wallace. The biahop of Gkugow,
the Steward, and Soulis, were to remain in exile for two years ; Graham and
Lindesay were to be banished from Scotland for six months; and Eraser
and Bois for tliree yean. " As for Wiluam Wauacb,** says the deed, " it is
covenanted, that if he thinks proper to surrender himeelf, it must be uncondi-
tionally to the will and mercy of our lord the king.""

Soon after, nn English parliament nas held at St Andrena, to which the
king summoned all the Scottish barons and nobles. The aammona mm obeyed

IS Langtoft, in hit duxmide, myi that Wallace proposed, on oertafn terms, to Borrendcr
himselt Thcao terms mark his bold and uiisubaued spirit. Their effect upon Edwsird
was to throw him into a fit of rage. The passngo is as fidfom :

Turn W6 now other weyes, unto our owen geste»

And spelce of the Waleys that lies in the forestc ;

In the forest he lendes of Dounfermd}!!,

He praied all his frendes, and other of his kyc,

After that Yole, thel wlkJe beseke Edward,

That he might yelde till him, in a forward

Tliat were hoiiomble to kepe wod or beste,

And with his fscrite fuU stable, and seled at the lecst.

To him and all his to haf in heritage ;

And none otherwise, als term tyme and sta^e

Bot ale a propre thing that were conquest till hire.

Vfhnn thel brouht that tethina Edward was fuUe grim.

And bilauht him the fende, als tra}toure in Lond,

And eyer-ilkon his firende that him 8uste}n*d or fond.

Three hundreth marke he hette unto his warisouo.

That with him so mette, or bring his hede to toun.

Now flies William Waleis, of pres nouht he spedis,

In mores and mareis with robberie him fedis.

WILLIAM WALLACE.

409

by aU» except Sir Williain OlipbaDt, Sir Simon Frafer, and Sii* William Wal.
laoe. Oliphant held the castle of Stirling, and refuied to capitulate. It was
f.he only stronghold of Scotland not in the hands of the English ; and Edward
brought all his force to besiege it. Erery engine known in those days wot
employed in the attack. After an obstinate defence for three months, of which
the English historians speak with admiration. Sir William Oliphant and his
little garrison were compelled to surrender at discretion. Fraser, too, despair-
ing of further resistance, at last accepted the conditions of Edward, and offered
hinuelf up to the conqueror. Wallacb alosb remained unsubdued, amid this
wreck of all that was free and noble, standing like a solitary monument among
the ruins of an ancient dynasty — destined then to be the emblem of his coun-
try's independence ; fioio, to be its watchword, its pride, and its praise.

Haring gained the submission of the principal men of Scotland, and, in the
capture of Stirling, reduced the last castle which had resisted his authority,
Edward returned to England, in the pleasing oonviction tlmt he had, at length,
finally accomplished the object upon which so much of the blood and money of
England liad been expended. Yet, while Wallace still lived, he felt his pos-
senion insecure ; and he used every possible means to obtain the person of
this his first, most dangerous, and uncompromising opponent. After the battle
of Falkirk, and his resignation of the governorship of Scotland, little is authen-
tically known of the particular transactions of WalUu». Graat part of tlie
time between 1298 and 1305, was no doubt spent in desultory attempts to an-
noy the English garrisons and migratory parties. But that a portion was also
devoted to a visit to France, as has been related by Blind Harry, and disputed
by subsequent writers,*^ appears now to be equally certain ; as a nuinuscript
English chronicle, recently discovered by Mr Stevenson in the British Museum,
speaks of such a visit, without the intimation of any doubt upon tlie subject.
Wallace was probably induced to visit the French court, by a hope of obtain*
ing some auxiliaries from Philip, for the purpose of carrying on the war against
Edward ; or, by a wish to urge the interests of ScotUnd, in the treaty which that
monarch formed in 1303 with the English king, and in which Scotland was over-
looked. Finding no success in either of these objects, he seems to have returned
to his native country, to renew that partisan warfare, which was now the only
method left to him of manifesting his patriotic feelings. That his deeds, how-
ever obscure, were of no small consequence, is shown by the eager solicitude which
Edward evinced to secure his person, and the means which he took for effecting
that end. Besides setting a great reward upon his head, he gave strict orders
to his captains and governors in Scotland, to use every endeavour to seize him ;
and sought out those Scotsmen, who he had reason to think entertained a per-
sonal pique at Wallace, in the hope of bribing them to discover and betray
him. Sir John de Mowbray, a Scottish knight, then at his court, was em-
ployed to can'y into Scotland, Ralph de Holiburton, one of the prisoners taken
at Stirling castle, with tlie view of discovering and seising the deliverer and
prote<^r of his country. What these creatures did in this dishonourable affair,
or with whom they co-operated, is not known ; the lamentable fact alone le-

£0 In the present narralive, It lias been our endeavour to go no further than the well-
aocaredited histories of both iduntries Marrant ; and the numerous stories told by Blind Hurry
of the lam conspicuous deeds of Wallace, are completely overlooked. It is the opinion, hovr-
ever, of the latest inquirer into the bistonr of the period, Mr P. F. Tytler, an opinion
formed upon apparently the best grounds, that the Minstrel writes iniih a greater regard to
the truth, and makes a much nearer approach to it, than has been generally supposed. We
aro Indebted for the infbrmalion, now given for the first lime, in confirmation of the story ol
Wallaoe's French expedition, to the personal kindness of Mr Tytlcr, who sBW%id oo|ned tlie
document alluded to In the text.

IT. 8 9

410 \?ILLIAM WALLACfi.

waahuh that Sir Willkun Wallace was at last treadieroiiily betrayed and taken,
^rovgh tlie ng&acf oi one of hb own ooantrymen, and one who liad lerred
wader liim againift the English, Sir John Mentelth, a baron of high rank ;
wiMte name, for this caoM, is throoghoot Scotland,' even unto this day, a bye-
wetd of seofB and deteitelion." Wallace was made prisoner at RobroystoD,
ia thtt neighbeurhoed of Glasgow, on the 5th of Angint, 1905.

The late of this great man was soon decided. He was fint taken to
I^nd»arUm oastle,'* then under the command of Menteitb, and afterwards car-
ried to London, heartly fettered, and guarded by a powerful escort. The
people in the nottfaem coonties of England are said to hare exulted gready at
the newa of hie capture ; and, as the caTalcade adranced, multitudes ftoeked
from all quarters to gai^e at its illurtrioos prisoner. On reaching London, he
was lodged for die night in Fenchureh street, in the house of a dtixen,
by name WiUkwi Driect ;** and next day (93rd AngnstJ Gsrried to Westmimter

>^ Some attempt hm boon made (espedaHy by loid Hoflei^ wbo aeemt to bave oometfrnes
oppomd ordinary fiiols and iielion» nwtor tho Tulgar doUuion of being philompliiflBl and im.
prejudiced,) to deny tlmt Sir John Mentoiili was the oqptor of Vf alkce. But uo civcanu
•Uuioe in history could be better oonx>bonted than lliia. All the English and Scottish writ-
er» agree on tho sobjeek. The €hnnide €ff Leneroost Priory, a MS. of the ikbieenih cen-
tury, prcsenred in tiU Britirii MiMum, faae this pamage : ^ Captne fuit WUleimm Waleli
per unum Scolum, tciScei per Domimun Johannemde Stentiphgf et usque London ad Keg em
adduotus, et adjodieatum fuit quod trakeretur, et suspenderetur, et deoollaretar. * Another
andenk M& (the Seala Chranide) preserved at Cambxidge, myi, *' Wylimm Waiey was
taken of tke Otumte cf MmUik aboui GlaOnm, and sent te King E d w ea i, and after wtm
hangid, drawn, and quarteiid, at Londoij.*' Lai«loft'a Chrodde (another Engttah au-
thoHt7)isa]flooondmt?e.

Sir Jon of Menetmt sewed William m nehi.
He took him when he wend lest, on nyghc Ms leman bl ;

That wee thei^bi tiessn of iak flhert hii man ;
He wae the eneheesn* that Sir Jon so him nam.

From whheh it appmm that MenCelth prevailed on Jack Shorty Waihee^ servant, fa betray
hira; and came under cover of niabt, and eeieBd him in bed, ** hialemaa by." Oar Seos-
tish historians, too, Fordun and W}iiU)n, who flourished not a hundred years after Wallace,
Fpeek in an eooally decisive manner of bis capture. <« Anno Domini MCCCV.t'* m}^
Pordun, " WilUmut WmUact per Jakummem de MemMkfi umimlaUer ei prwHamMSter cofi-
iwr^ Regi Anglisi tmditttr» Londiais demembeatui." Wynlen'a shaptes sn tho aid«ect le
headed thus : —

ibitins rten ^MmtMh m Mi ifffxn'i
Dbiomt gude WiUomt WaUqft.

And, further, lie wys:—

A I hs us aa d tkre Irandyr and the fyft yere
BAar the bytth of our Lord ders^

Schyre Jon ofMeiUetk in tka daJU
Tuiin QUueo jnUame WaUtyt.

That Mentdth was at one time a fellow aeldier of WalhKo, is proved by the ikiUewing paa.
mge flrom Bower, premrred in the Rehtlanee Amaldf Blair:—" In hoc ipso anno (1298)
vis. 28 die meneie Augwti, l>ominm WaUes^ Scotia cnstoa^ cum Jofaanne Gmhamei et
Johannede MenUith, miUtibustneeaoay AleiandroSerymgeour, oonslabukrievilbs de Dun-
dee et veaillarfo Sootia, cum quinquagentis miliUbus armatia, rebelles GaUoTidienaes pu-
nierunt, qui Regis Anglia et Cumlnorum pertibus sine allquo jure steterunt." As to nny
further intimacy between Menteith and WaUaoe, there is no evidence beyond Blind Harry
and popular tndition^

» A sword and nudl an still shown ba Dumbartmi castle^ m having betrnged to
Wallace!

» The fbllowiiw posaige occurs In Stow*s Chronide: <* WlUiam WaUaee, whfch had oiU
times set Scotland in great trouble, was UOcen and brought te London, with aieat mirobeim
of men and women wondering upon hlnu He was lodged in the home of Wilttam Dalecl»
a dtiasn of London, in Fenchurch stmet. On the Borrow, bdi« the eee of St Beitbolo.
mew, he was Upuxhi on horseback to Westminster; John Segrare and Getiiey, knighta»
the mayor, sfaerifl^ and aldermen of London, and many others, both on hnrseharir and on

JAXXS WALLAC8. 411

Hally aocompaniefl by the mayor, sheriffi, and aMeoMQ of tlie citf^ and theve
arn^ned of treaioa. A crown of laurel wae ia auickery placed on his head,
Itecaase, as was allegod, he iiad been ambUioiii of ihe SoottJah crown. The
kingf's justice, Sir Fetor Mallorie, then iropfndhed turn as a traitor to Edward,
and as having burned Tillages, atomied castles, and slain many subjects of
England. '* I could not be a traitor to the king of England,'' said Wallace,
' ^ for I was noTer his subject, and nerer swore fealty to him. It is trae I have
alain many finglishiaen ; bat it ivas in the defeaoe of the rights and liberties
of ay native eountry of SocAland.'* Kottvithatanding the truth and justice of
liis plea, Wallaoe was foand guilty, and cendemned to a cruel death. It is a
•tain on the cbancter nf Edward, and a nsproach to the spirit of his age and
country, that, while he pardoned, and eren favoured many who had repeatedly
▼jolated their oaths of allegiance to him, he not only bestowed no avrcy on
this biavs and trae-hearted man, who had never proteased allegiance, Iwt, with
an enmity w^ich showed how little ayrapathy be had for his noble ^fualities, add-
ed insult to in|nstioe, and endeavoured to heap indignity on tiae head of him
whose name eball be theengh all ages honaumd and aensMd by every genevoaa
breast Sir William Wallace was dragged at the tub of bosses through the
atreets of Leodon to a gallows in Smithfield, wfaere, allkar being hanged n short
time, lie was taken doian, yet breathing, and his bowels torn out, and burned. .
Hia head was then strode off, and hie body divided into quartern His head
was placed on apalo on London Bcidge, his right arm above the bridge at Naw-
oaatle, his left ana waa aent to Berwick, hia Tight foot and limb to Perth, and
his left ^piarter to Aberdeen. ^ Tbeae," aaye an old Engliah historian, << wwe
the tvephies of their favourite hero, which the Scots had now to contomplato,
instead of his bannon and goafanona, which they had once proudly followed."
Bot he might have added, aa is weU remaiked by Mr Tytler, that ** they
were tropliies more glorious than the richest basiaer that had over been
home before him ; and if Wallaoe already had been the idol of the people,'if
they had long rsgarded him as the oaly naan who had asserted, throujgliout
every change of ciseamsteaces, the Independence of his ooaatry, now that his
mutilated limbs were brought before them, it auiy well be conceived how deep
and ^nearthigMishable were their Sselings of pity asid revenge.^ Edward, as-
auradly, ceuld bane adopted no more certain way of canosuaing the memory of
bis enemy, and inoreaaii^ ttie aniasosity of the Scet^sh peoplo. Accordingly,
we find, although the oaeoutioa of Widhce may bo said to have oompleted that
solyngation of the country which the Englidi numaach had beenalraining for,
by ferae and fraud, darijy a period of fifteen years,— that in Ims than mx
moMg hmk the death of her great ehampion^ Scotland, reused to the cauae
now aealed and made holy by her patriot's blood, shook oiT the yoke of
England, and becaoM ence mora a fioe kingdom.

WALLACE, Javaa, nsaaUy <^led Colonel Wallace, leader of the Covenaaten
at the battle of Fenthmd hilb, was deacendod from Hie Wallaces of Dundonald,
a biandi of the Wallaoso of Craigie. Neither the plaoe, nor the year of hia
birth IB known ; but in the aentenoe of death, which was passed against him
in abeenoe, after the batde of Fentland, he is atyled '' of Auchena," an estate
situated in the parish of Dundonald, in Ayrshire, and whidi was the family seat
of his anoaston^ and most probably his own burth-phwe. Of his education

foot, aooomponying him; and in the areat hnll ot Westminster, he being placed on the
Bouth tiench, crowned with Janrel, for that he had wdd fai times pest that he ought to bear
ft crown in that hail, as it was oommonly.reported ; and being appeached for a trsiiour by Sir
Peter Malloiie, the king's justice, he answered, that he was never traitoor to the king of
England ; but for other things whereof he was accused, he confesBed them; and was otter
beaded and qaartorBd."

412

JAMBS WALTACE.

there if equally litUe known, m of the other particoUn alluded ta He ap-
peal*, howerer, to hare adopted the military profession at a Tory early perioid
of life, and haring distinguished himself in the parliamentary army, was raised
to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He went to Ireland in the marquis
of Argyle's regiment in the year 1642, and in 1645, was recalled to oppose
the progress of the marquis of Montrose. At what period of the struggle
colonel Wallace joined the army of the oorenanters, under general Baillie, is
unknown, but he was at the battle of Kilsyth, where he was taken prisoner.

In 1650, when Charles II. came from the continent, at the entreaty of the
Scottish parliament, two regiments being .ordered to be embodied of '* the
choicest of the army, and fittest for that trust,*' one of hone and another ot
foot, as his body guards, Wallace iras appointed lieutenantncolonel of the foot
regiment, under lord Lorn, who was coloneL Sir James Balfour, lord Lyon
King at Arms, by his majesty's command, set down the derioes upon the en-
signs and colours of these regiments. Those of the lieutenant colonel [Wallace]
were azure, a unicorn argent, and on the other side in '' grate gold leters,"
these words, " Covenant for religion, king, and kingdoms." At the battle of
Dunbar Wallace was again made prisoner ; and in the end of that year, lord
Lorn, in a petition to the parliament, says, '' In respect my lieutenant-colonel
has, in God's good providence, returned to his cliarge, whose fidelity in this
cause is well known both in Ireland and in this kingdom, and that his Josses
are very many and great, I do humbly desire that your majesty and this high
court of parliament may be pleased in a particular manner to take notice of him,
tliat he may not only have a company appointed him, but likewise something
may be done, for the satisfaction of his former losses^" Upon this petition the
Committee of Bills reported, '' that lieutenant-colonel Wallace may be referred
to the Committee of Estates, that he may be assigned to some part of the excise
or maintenance forth of the shire of Ayr, or any other of the shires in the
south."

Colonel Wallace seems to hare lived in retirement from the Restoration till
the month of November, 1666, when Maclellan of Banoob, and some other
gentlemen who had been driren into hiding, happening to fall in with some
soldiers whom they found maltreating a poor old countryman, immediately dis-
armed the latter, and thus gave occasion to that rising, which, from the place
where it was suppressed, has always been called the rising of Pentland. Hav-
ing fairly committed themselves by their humane interference, these gentlemen
conceired the design of anticipating tlie vengeance of Sir .lames Turner, by
surprising him with his whole party where he lay in the town of Duni^
fries, about sixteen miles distant Accordingly, having assembled their friends,
to the number of about fifty horse, with a few foot, they marched into that town
upon Thursday, the 15th of November, and made Sir James prisoner with his
whole party, wounding only one man. The insurgents on this occasion, were
led by a Mr Andrew Gray, a merchant in Edinburgh, who happened
by chance to be in that part of the country at the time. Neilson of Corsack,
howerer, was the leader, before whom Sir James Turner, upon being made
prisoner, was brought. From this gentleman he obtained quarter and protec-
tion ; but when Gray, tlie chief of the party, came up, he insisted upon having
him shot upon the spot. They finally, however, set him upon a sorry boost,
and carried him about with Uiem in his dishabille, and in this manner proceeded
to the market cross, whore they drank the king's health, and prosperity to his
goveroment. Sir James, however, for some days could not believe but that
they intended to hang him when they should find time and place suitable.

While these things were transacting in Dumfries, the friends of religion and

JAMES WALLACE. 413

liberty, kept up a correspondence by special messeDgers, and continued de-
liberating on what was best to be done. Among others, Wallace joined a con-
snltation, which was held at the chambers of Mr Alexander Robertson in Edin-
burgh, the samo night that Sir James Turner was made prisoner. At this meet-
ing it was resolved to make common cause with the western brethren, and seek
redress from government with arms in their hands. Colonel Wallace, and a
little band of adherents, lost no time in proceeding to Ayrshire, in the hope of
being joined by the friends of religion and liberty there. They visited succes-
sively Mauchllne, Ayr, Ochiltree, Cumnock, Mairkirk, and other places on the
route ; but met with little encouragement in their enterprise* Mr Robertson,
who had been still less successful in procuring assistance, rejoined Wallace, along
with captain Robert Lockhart, and insisted that the undertaking should be
abandoned. This counsel was unpalatable to Wallace, but he forthwith sent
Maxwell of Monreith to consult with John Guthrie, brother to the celebrated
minister of Fenwick, on the subject. Having been reinforced by a small party
from Cunningham, under cnptain Amot, the whole body marched to Douglas, on
Saturday the 24tb, where, at night, after solemn prayer, the proposal of Robert-
son and lockhart was carefully considered. It was rejected without one dls<
senting voice, all being clear that they had a Divine warrant for the course they
were pursuing. They resolved, therefore, to persevere in it, although they
should die at the end of it; hoping that, at least, their testimony would not be
given in vain to the cause they had espoused. Two other questions were
discussed at this meeting: the renewing of the covenants, — to which all agreed;
and, what should be done with Sir James Turner, whom, for want of any place
in which to confine him, they still carried about with them ; and who, as a per-
secutor and murderer of God's people, it was contended by many, ought to hare
been put to death. As quarter, however, as it %vas alleged, had been granted
to him, and as he had been spared so long, ** the motion for pistoling him was
slighted." On the morro\v, Sabbath, they marched for Lesmahago, and passed
the house of Robert Lockhart, where Mr Robertson also ivas, at the time ; but
. neither of the two came out. This day, they perfected, as well as they could,
the modelling of their force ; but few as their numbers were, they had not the
half of the officers requisite : they had not above four or five that had ever
been soldiers. At night, they entered Lanark, crossing Clyde near the
town. Next day, Monday, the 26th, guards being set upon the ivater in a
boat, to prevent any surprise from the enemy, the covenants were renewed,
Mr John Guthrie preaching and presiding to one part of the army, and Messrs
Gilbert Semple and Crookshanks to the other ; and the work was gone about
" with as much joy and cheerfulness as may be supposed in such a condition.*'
On this day, considerable numbers joined them ; and, with the view of favour-
ing the rising of their friends, who were understood to be numerous, in
ShotU, West Calder, and Bathgate, they marched for the latter plnce ; but did
not reach it till late in the evening. Part of the way, a large body of the
enemy's horse hung upon their rear ; the roads were excessively bad, and the
place could not so much as aflbrd them a cover from the rain, which was falling
in torrents. The officers went into a house for prayer, and to deliberate upon
their further procedure, when it was resolved to march early in the direction
of Edinburgh, in the hope of meeting their friends from that quarter, as well as
those they had expected through the day. Scarcely, however, had the meeting
broken up, when their guards gave the alarm of the enemy ; and though the
night was dark and wet in the extreme, they set out at twelve o'clock, taking
the road through Broxburn, and along the new bridge for Collington* Day-
light appeared as they came to the bridge, in the most miserable plight imagin-

414 JJJOES WALLACE.

abk. FVom their £diiibuij;h friends tbeve vae no intalUfHioe; and hImd tliaj
drew lip on the eaet aide of the bridge^ there wae net a captain with the hoai^
•ATe one^ and the enemy wen oloee at hand, Marchinig lor the eaae hridgau
Wallace 9 howerer, vai a num of aingular resolution, and of gnat aelf-pessesooa.
Eren in these distressing ciroumslanoes, he sent a party to oooopy the hridge,
and marched eJf the main body of his little amy to a riatng ground, vhete he
awaited the enemy to give him battle.

It was at this critical Juncture, that Lawrie of Blackwood paid him aeeoend
Tisity not to assist, bat to disnoamge him, hy.propounga second time that he
should disband his followers, and trust to an indemnityy whidi he assured Jiim
the duke Hamilton would exert himself to obtain for them. As h^ had no cre-
dentials to show, and seeaMd to be speaking merely his own aentiments, wiHi-
out the authority of either party, Bladkwood^s proposal excited suspicions of his
motires. He, bewerec, nraained with the party, wfaiob had now moved on to
Collii^gton, aU night ; and in the morning was the bearer of a letter frmn
colonel Walhrae to geneal Dalaeli, whe sent it to the conncil, while he hastened
himself to pmme the imufente. Watt^e^ in the iMan tiase. marched to
Ingliston bridge, it the point of the PentUnd hilk, and ifis in the act of dsawii^
up his little paity to prennt straggling, when h% leansed tint fiakell, mA the
advanm of ihe lung*8 troops, was within half a mile of him. Then had bean
a heary fall of snow threngh the night, bat it was ea c n e de d hy a dear li es tf
day ; and it was Jbeut sioon of that day, the S6th of Nonsnher, when the as^
mies caose in eight ef each ether. That of the inswgenls did wot exoeed aiwn
hundred nen, iU<4ined, worn out with iatigne, and half stanrhsg. The nyal
array, which amennted to towards of then thousand ama, was in the higheat
order, and well p n r ided in all respecte, Walhme dispeeed his little anniy with
great judgment apoa the side of a hill, running from north to south. The
(ialloway gantbmen, en hoodback, under M^QelUn of Baraagaohan, wen
stationed on the eonlh ; the nemander ef the heese, under Blajer Ijeanmnt, ew
the north ; and the loot, who wan oxeeodjagiy ill annad» ia <he auddle.
Dakell seems to hare been £ar some time it a lorn how to prooeed; hnriag
saoh a superiority, however, in numbem, he detanhed n party of bene, i
general Drummend, to the w e st w ard , in oader to luni Wallan^ left
This detachBMnt was nMt by the Galloway gentleesen, under captain Aniot i
Barmagaohaa^ and oempletely routed in an instant ; and had Wallaoe been in
a Gond^on to ban supported and followed np this asaaterly monment, the
king% army would inerltahly han leat the day. A second attack was met hy
major Learmont, with equal epirit; and it was wet till afiar snneet, when
Daiiuil] hini&elf charged the i«eble unarmed centre willt the cirength of hk
army, hone and fuul, tJmt any impression ^vai mad^ upon tbeiM. Tbis dut^e
they were unabk to resiit, but were iiiitantly brok«£i aod diipei^ed. The
nature of the ground, and the dnrkne&s of Hie night, faroured U^eir
dight, and tliare were not more than ore hundred of them kUI«d and lakep bj
Uie ficton ; but they were in ah unfriendly part of ih© counlry, and nici&y of
Ihe fugliAYei were murdered by their inhumane ouLtnLrymen^ for uboie rights
and liberties Lhey ivere contending.

Colonel WalJaoe nfior tli& bauie left the field, in comj^Any wiUi Mr John
Welch f and, taking a north- vreiiedy direction along the hilb, eicaped pursuit.
After gaining uhal lhey conceived lo be a lafe disLiuce Irem Ihe eriemy^ Lhej
turned liieir horses loose, and slept the leiiiainder of the night in a barn.
Wallace for tome time coucealed hiin«elf in difl«rent pat-Li of the country, and
ni length esoped to tlie coiiiinenl, where he auumed the naine uf Forbes,
Etch t]tcre, howcTer, he naa obliged Lo wander fruni place lo place for tereral

DB. ROBERT WALLACE. 415

yean, to amid his enemieB, who still coDtinued to aeek kim out. When the
6Bgera«gt of the pumiifc abated, be took up bit teudeoco at Botterdoni, wb«ra
Mc Macwoid and Mv Jobn BrowB had found an atylam, and ^vexe now eu^
pk»yad in diapenoing orduumcea to nuaieroua coi^egations ; but on- the eoaw
plaint of one Henry Wilkie, whom the king had placed at the head of the
Seottiih factory at Cajopiere, who found hie intereeta suilering by the greater re-
tort of Scottidi merchonta at Rott er da m ^ for the sike of enjoying the ninigtry of
theae worthy men, the etotes-geaeral were enjoined by the British government
to send all the three oat of their ieiritoriee. In the case of Wallace, the states
were obliged to eooiply, aa he had been eondemned to be eweeuted aa a traitor,
when he should be apprehended, and hia knda forfeited for hie majesty's use ;
but they gave him a re c o m m e n d ation to all kings, repoblice, &a, &e.^ to whom
he might come, of the most flattering destriplioii. In the case of the other
two, the order seems to have been evaded. WoUaeo ventured in a short
time book to UoUand, and died at Rotterdam in the end of the yen 1&78,
*' lamented of all the serious English and IXilch of his ao^uaintance, who were
many ; and, in partiealar, the membetn of the coDgvegatioii, of wlUch ho viaa
a ruling elder, beraeoaed bis death, and Uieirkm> as of a father*" 'Tothelasti
lie testified his attadimeiit to the pnblie eaose which he bad owned, and hia
satieiictiosi in reflecting on what he had hnaarded and sufleved in its defence.'*
Ho left one sod, who sueceeded to hie father's property, as the oentenoe of
death and ef fogitation, which was nUifled by the parlhonent in 166», was iw-
sdnded at the Bevolutiott.

Among the sudering Seettish exiies, there were few mere esteemed than
Goionel WoBaeR. Bfr Biown of Wamphny, ia a testament ezecated. by him at
Botterdamy in 1670, ordered ono hundred guineas ^' to be pot into the hands
of Mr WaUace, to bo given out by him to such as he kneweth indigent and
honest;** and while he leaves the half of iiis remanent gold to Mr Bbcward, he
leaves the other half to B& Wallacek. Mr Maeward, who waa honoured to dote
the eyes of his valued friend and feBow Christiaa, eTcclahne : ** Great WaUace
is gone to giory ; of whom I have no doubt it may be said, he hath left no man
behind khn in ^at church, minister nor psofesoor, who hath gesw tfarangh such a
variety ef tiwleiisas, witfaont tniMogayids to the right hand or to dieleffc. He
died iw great eevenity of seoL When the cause for which be suflered waa men*
tionedr whm it was scarce betiefed he undeiilood or could epeok, there was
a sunshuM of joy looked out of hie conatenanee, and a IMting vtp oif bonds on
high, as to receive the martyr's crowa ; together with a lifUng up of the voice,
with an ' Aha^* aa to sing the eo a y e rgr*s soog of victory.**

WALLACE, (Db) Romm, ceiebsated aa the author of a weik oa the numbera
of maakiad, and for his ezertiona in establishing the Scottish Mimslen' Widows^
Fund, was hem on the 7th Joanary, 1007, CXSw in the parish of Kincardine
in Perthshire, of whidi hie Ibther, Matthew Wallaee, was mtaister.^ Aa he was
an only sen, hia early edocMion was carefully attended to. He acquired Latin
at the gr8mnMur.4choel of Stirling, and, in 171 1 , woe seat to the university of
Edinburgh, where he passed through the usual routine of stndy. He was
one of the er%inal members of Uie Ranketrian dub, a social literary
fraternity, which, from the subsequent celebrity of many of its members,
become reraaikably connected with the literary history of Scotland. Mr Wal-
laoe directed his studiee towards qualifying himself for the church of Scotland.
In 1799, he waa licensed to preach by the presbytery of Dumblane, and in Au«-
gust, 1793, the marquis of Aaaaadale presented him with the Bring of Moffirt.

Dr WoUoor hod an early teste for mathematici, to which ho directed his at-
* Scots Mtgaane, xxziTT. 310. Ixxr. 591.

410

BR, EGBERT WALLiCE,

tenlic^n friifle n student Qt thd tmlTCTMtj, stid an tb^t study lio boitoi;r«d many
of Lis spriro liotir^ daring' hi* ministry. He hfls loft bchiad him Tolammons

nifiiiTiscript spcclroena of bis labours; but it will probably be now eonwdcred
bettor cvldcaoe of bis early proficiency^ that in 1720 he wa* chosen atstaUiat to
Ih- Gregory, then iuflPering under bad health. Wallaeo wns, in 1733, Appolatod
one of the mimsten of the Grey friars* ehnrob in EJinburgh, The couotott4oce
of tho gOTcmmcnt, which ho bad previously obtain (jd^ he forfeited b 1735, by
refusing to read in his church the act for the more effectually bring icg to jostic©
the murderers of Porteous, which the lealous rago of the miai&try and the houiD
of peers had appointed to be read from the pulpit He was in diifaTour daring
tbe brief reign of the Walpolo ministry; bnt under their «uccewori tras iairustcd
wUIi tho conduct of ecclesiastical aflfiiir*. The revolution in tho minbUy hap*
pened at a moment when Dr Wallace was enabled to do essential service to his
count ryj by farthering the project of the Ministers' Wilows* Fund* The policy
of that undertaking waa first hinted at by Mr MathiesoHj a miniater of the high
irhurch of Edinburgh ; Dr Wallace in procuring the aaaction of the leglaUturcj
amd Dr Webster, by an active correipondcn&e, and the acquisiUoa of italiatical
infi>miationj brought the plan to its practical bearing, by apportioning the ratesi
&c., aud after wards tealeualy watched and nmr tared the iufaot system* As the
ahare which Dr Wallace took in the promo t loo of this measure is not very well
Itnowni it may bo tnentlonedr that it appears from document* in the office of th^
truiteea of the Ministers* Wldowi^ Fundt that ho was moderator of tho General
Assembly in 17-* 3, Tv-hich •anclioned the meaaure* In tho cniuiog November
La was commistioncd by the ehurehf along with Mr Gc-orgo Wlshartr minister of
tho Tran church, to proceed to London, and watch the proceedings of the legti-
J at u re regarding it. Ho there preaented the scheme to the lord adYOcate, who
reduced it to the form of a BilL The oorrectiona of Mesii-a Wallace and Wisbart
appear on the aeroU of tlie BilL

lu 1744, Dr Wallace waa appelated one of the royal chaplaina far Scotland.
Ho had read to the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, of which he was an
original member and active promoter, a ^* Dissertation on tho numbers of Man-
kind in ancient and modei-n timcft," which he revised and published in 1752^.
In Uits work he was the first to apply to purposes of investigation one of those
truisma which, however plain, are never stated until some activo tniod employs
tbem aa foundaUona for more intricate deductions, that the number of humaii
beings permanently existing in any portion of the earth must be in the ratio of
the i^uantity of food supplied to them. Tho explanation of this truth by Dr
WaUace has been acknowledged by Malthus> and the work in which it was
diicaifed has acquired deserved fanjo for tho maEs of curious statistical informa-
tion with which the author*a lenmiug furnished it; but io tho great theory
which he laboured to catabliah, the author is generally allowed to have failed.
He malutaincd, aa a sort of corollary to the truth above mentioned, that whero
the greatest attention is paid to agriculture, tho greatest number of human
beluga will be fed, aud that the ancients having paid greater attention to that
art than the moderns, the world of antiquity must have been more populous
than that of modern dtiy«. Wore aU food eouflutncd whero it im produced, tho
propoaition would bo true, hut in a world of traffickers, a sort of reveriO of the
proposition may bo eaid to liold good, vi^., that in tho period trhcre the snudlest
propot^iion of the humsn beings on tlje surface of tho earth is employed in
agrieulturej the world will bo most populous, because for every human being that
exists, a quantity of food sufficient to live upon mmt bo procured; for procuring
this food tho easiest method ivill always be preferred, and ther^ore when tho
proper tioa of periona engaged in agriculturo le tbe Hnallcr^ we are to presume, not

HENRY WARDLAW.

417

that the less is produced, but that the easier method of providing for the aggre-
gate number has been followed. The great engine of facilitating ease of production
is commerce, which makes the abundance of one place supply the deficiency of
anotlier, in exchange for such necessaries and luxuries, as enable the dwellers
on the fertile spot to bestow more of their time in cultiyation. than thay could
do, were they obliged to provide tliese things for themselves. Hence it is
pretty clear, tlist increase of populousness has accompanied modern commerce.
Previously to the publication of Uiis treatise, Hume had produced his invaluable
critical essay on the populousness of ancient nations, in which, on politico-eco-
nomical truths, he doubted the authenticity of those authorities on the populous-
ness of antiquity, on nsany of whidi Wallace depended. In publishing his
book, Dr Wallace added a long supplement, discussing Hume's theory with
much learning and curious information, but leaving the grounds on which the
sceptic had doubted the good faith of the authorities unconfuted. Wallace's
treatise was translated into French, under the inspection of Montesquieu ; and
w:as republished in 1 809, with a life of the author. Dr Wallace's other pub*
lished works, are ''A Sermon, preached in the High Church of Edinburgh,
Monday, January G, 1745-G, upon occasion of the Anniversary Meeting of the
Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge ;** in which he min-
gled, with a number of extensive statistical details concerning education, col*
lected with his usual learning, and tinged with valuable remarks, a political at-
tack on the Jacobite insurrection of the period, and the motives of its instigaton,
" Characteristics of the Present State of Great Britain/' published in 1758 ; and
" Various Prospects of Mankind, Nature, and Provklence," published in 1761 ;
in which he discussed tlie abstruse subjects of liberty and necessity, the perfecti-
bility of human nature, &c He left behind him a MS. essay on Taste, of con-
siderable length, whidi was prepared for the preu by his son^ Mr George
Wallace, advocate, but never published. From the new aspect which modern
inquiries on this subject have assumed, in their adoption of the cumulative prin-
ciple of association, this work can now be of littlo interest ; but it may be worth
while to know, that his '' Principles of Taste," or sources from whence the feeling
was perceived to emanate, were divided into, 1st, grandeur ; 3nd, novelty; Srd,
variety; 4th, uniformity, proportion, and order; 5th. symmetry, congruity, or
propriety ; and, 6tli, similitude and resemblance, or contrast and dissimilitude.

Dr Wallace died on the 89th of July, 1771, in consequence of a cold, caught
in being overtaken in a walk by a snow storm. His son George, already
mentioned, is known as the author of a work on the Descent of ancient Peerages,
and " Principles of the Law of Scotland," which lias fallen into obscurity.

WARDLAW, Hkxky, bishop of St Andre>v8, and founder of the university
there, was descended from the Wardlan-s of Torry, in Fife, and was nephew
to Walter Wardlaw, bishop of Glasgow, who was created a cardinal by pope
Urban VI., in the year 1381. The subject of this memoir, having received
the usual education of a churchman, ivas appointed, not improbably through the
interest of his uncle, to the office of precentor in the cathedral church of Glas-
gow. He afterwards went to Avignon, probably on some mission from his dig-
nified relative. While residing at the papal court there, Thomas Stewart, son
to Robert II., king of Scotland, who had been elected bishop of St Andrews,
died, and the subject of diis memoir was preferred to the vacant see by pope
Benedict XIIL, in tlie year 1404. He returned to Scotland shortly after,
bearing the additional title and office of pope's legate for Scotland. Being a
roan of strict morals, his first care was to reform Uie lives of the clergy, whicli
luid become profligate to an extreme degree. In the mean time, king Robert
111., Iiaving lost his eldest son David, by the treacherous cruelty of his brother

IV. so

418 HENRY TTARDLAW.

tho duke of Albany, to secure the life of his son James^ lent him to the caie of
bishop Wardlaw, who, dreadinjj^ the power and the cruelty of Albany, adrised
his father to send him to France to the care of Charles VL, on whose friendly
dispositions he assured him he might confidently rely. On the seizure of
James, in 1404, by Henry IV. of England, the bishop waa left at liberty to
pursue his plans of improremenl at his leisure, but firom the unsettled slate
of the country, and the deplorable ignorance which prevailed among all classea
of the community, with rery little success. With the Tiew of surmounting
these obstacks, he erected a college at St Andrews in 1411, for which be
procured a confirmation from Pope Benedict in the year following. Hie
agent on this occasion wtis Alexander Ogihy. On the return of this missionary
ill the year 1418, \\ilh the bull of confirmation, bonfires were kindled, bells
were rung, and tlie night spent with every demonstration of joy. The next
day was devoted to a solemn religtout procession, in which there were four
hundred clergymen, besides novicea of various orden and degrees. The
model upon which the bishop formed this university was that of Paris,
where, it is probable, he had received his own education ; and he nominated
Mr John Shevez, his first official, Mr William Stephen, afterwards bishop
of Dumblane, and Sir John Leister, a canon of the abbey, readers of divinity,
Mr Laurence Lindores, reader of the canon, and Mr Richard Cornwall of the
civil law, and Messrs John Gow, William Foulis, and William Croisier, profea-
Bors of philosophy, " penons,*' says Spotiswood, '* worthy of being remem-
bered for being the first instruments that were employed in that service, and
for the attendance they gave upon it, having no allowanoe for their labour.**
Buchanan has not recorded the names of these worthy men, but he alludes to
them when he says, ** the university of St Andrewa was founded through the ef-
forts of learned men, who gratuitously offered their services as proiessors, rather
than from any stipendiary patronage either of a public or private character.''
For sixty-four years after its foundation the lectures were read in a wooden
building called the pedagogy, erected on the spot where St Mary's now stands,
the numlter of students amounting, if we may credit some authors, to several
thousands. The professors had no fixed salaries, and the students paid no
fees.^

Notwithstanding all the bishop's industry, and the diUgence of his professon,
matters do not seem to have mended witii the dei^. King James, after his
return, attempted to check their licentiottsness without eflect, as they had now
got beyond the reach of all authority except that of the court of B4>me. Tlie
university seems as yet to have been wholly unappreciated by the only classes
who could partake of its benefits ; for we find the monarch, in order to rid
himself of the profligate de^y, bestowing a large portion of his attention on
the establishment of schools, and supporting them Cbenlly, fliat they might be
available to all ranks. Learned men he induced by rewarda to attend him, and
as often as he could disengage himself firooi public business he resorted to the
scene of their disputations, and listened to their discourses. By these means
he laboured to overcome the ignorant prejudices of his nobility, who, look-

I Forty-ibur yean after this, via., 1456, wbile tho pedagogy was yet standing, oichbisbop
Kennedy Ibunded St Salvador's college, and in 161S; one limdred and one \^n after ihe
foundation of the pedagi^r, prior Uepbum founded St Leonaid'k. Tho v^damogy being
tnken down, St Mary's or Divinity college was erected in its stead. .TowanJS this ertcUou
the two Ueatons, David and James, oontributcd considerable suns, and lectures on theology
were there first introduced by cardinal Beaton's successor, archbishop Hamilton, about the
year 1667. St Falvudor*s and St Leonard's were is comparatively recent times oenjoinecf,
and go b)r the name of the United college. St Mary's is still distinct, and by the favour of
diiierent individuals, all of them have been pretty liberally endowed.

UENRT WARDIAW. 419

iDg at the votthlew and ignoble lives of the dergy, only oonoeived tbat
leamiiigy to which ihe latter urged an exclusive daini, him the dutm of idl»-
ness and flotb, and fit to be exercised only in the gloom of a monastic oelJ.
In theie generous and truly princely endeavourf, hoiie?er, James was
grievously thwarted by the exhausted condition of the public revenues, whidi,
what with foreign wars^and domestic seditions^ had almost entirely disappeared.
To remedy this evil he called a parliament at Edinbu^hy mainly with a view
to relieve the hostages that remained in England for the king's ransom, of which
one halfy or tivo hundred thousand merks, stood unpaid. I'o raise this money
a general tax of twdve pennies on the pound of all land, spiritual and tem-
poraiy and four pennies on e?ery cow, ox, and horse for the space of two yeacs
warn imposed. This tax, however, was so grievously resented by the people,
and so many extortions were committed in its exaction, that the generous
monarch, after the first collection, compassionately remitted what was unpaid,
and, so far from being enabled to be more generous in rewarding men
of learning and talents, the greater number of the hostages for his ransom
were allowed to die in bondage, from his inability to redeem them. What good
was in his power, hewvver, he did not &il to perform. He invited from
the univexsities on the continent no fewer than eighteen doctors of thedogy,
and eight doctors of the canon law. He attended in persim the debates in the
infant university of Si Andrew*, and visited the other seminaries of learning.
He advanced none to any dignity in the church but persons of learning and
merit ; and he passed a law, that no man should enjoy the place of a canon
in any cathedral cfaovdi till he had taken the degree of a bachelor in divinity, *
or of the canon law. He placed choristers and organs in every cathedral in
the kingdom ; and, that the nobility might be compelled to apply tiiemselves
to learning, he oidained, that no nobleman should be allowed to accede to
his fathet^s estates till he was in some d^iee acquainted with the civil law,
or the commosi law of his own country. James was also careful to encour-
age artists from abroad to settle among his rode people, who were miserably
destitute of all the conveniences and comforts of dvilieed life.

A degree of prosperity, for a long period unknown in Scotland, followed ;
and, in its train, if we may believe Budunan, ease, luxury, and licentiousness^
and, to such an extent, as not only to disturb the public tranquillity, but to
destroy all sobriety of individual conduct. Hence, he says, arose sumptuous
entertainments by day, and revellinp by night, masquerades, a panion for
clothes of the most costly foreign materials, houses built, not for use but for
show, a perfoidon ci manners under the name of elegance, native customs
came to be, contemned, and, from a fastidioos fiddeness, nothing was esteemed
handsome or becoming that was not new. All this was chaiged by tlie common
people, though they themselves were fdlowing it up as fast as possible, upon
the ootutiers who had come with the king from England, in the train of his
queen, Jane, daughter to the duke of Sosnerset Nor did the king himsdf
escape blame, though, by bis own example, he did all that he could to repress
the evil ; for not only wen his dress and his household expenses restrained
within the most moderate bounds, but extravagance of every kind he reproved,
wherever he beheld it. The matter, however, was considered of so great im-
portance by some of the Scottish nobility, who were accustomed themselves to
wear the plainest habiliments, to live on the plainest and simplest description
of food, and to accustom themselves to all manner of privations, in order to lit
them for the fatigues of war, that they pressed the bishop to move the king to
call a parliament, for abolishing these English customs, as they were called.
A parliament was accordingly assembled at Perth, in the year 1430, when it was

420 I>^ BOBERT WATSON.

enacted that penrU should be worn only by ladiei» who were permitted to ban;
a fmoll ooUar of them about their necks. All furs and ermines, and exceasiTo
Qso of gold and silver laccj all banqueting and riotous feasting, with other
a)>uses of a similar kind, wcro prohibited ; and this prohibition, says tho writer
of tho bishop's life, was so effectual, that no more complaints of the kind
were heard of. The bishop, thongh remarkable for the great simplicity of his
character, for his piety and well meaning, was yet a greater enemy to what he
believed to be heresy, than to immorality. In 1422, John Resby, an English,
roan, was apprehended by lAwrecce Ltndorcs, professor of common law in the
newly erected uniTcrsity of St Andrews, who accused him in the ecclesiastical
court of having denied the pope's vicarship, &c., &o. For tliis, Resby was
condemned to be burnt alive, and suffered accordingly. In the year 1432,
Paul Craw, a Bohemian, was aUo apprehended in the university of St Andrews,
and accused before the bishops' court of following Wiokliffe and Haas; of
denying that the substance of bread and wine, in the sacrament, was changed
by virtue of any words; of denying that confession should be made to priests;
or that prayer should be offered up to saints. He likewise was condemned and
burnt alive, at the instigation of the bishop. Notwithstanding this, Wardlav
was celebrated for his eharity; and though he laboured to suppress the riotous
living which bad become so general in the kingdom, he was yet a man of
boundleas hospitality. It is recorded of him, that the stewards of his household*
on one occasion, complained to him of the numbers that resorted to his table, to
share in the good things which it afforded ; and requested that, out of compassion
for his servants, who were often quite worn out with thw labours^ he would
furnish them with a list of his intended guests, that they might know how many
they should have to serve. To this he readily assented, and sent for his secre-
tary, to prepare the required document. The latter having arranged his writing
materials, inquired who was to be put down. ** Put down, first/' replied the
bishop, ''Fife and Angus," (two large counties). This was enough : his servants^
appalled by anticipations of a list which began so formidably, instantly relin-
quished their design of limiting the hospitality of their generous master. For
the benefit of his diocese, tho bishop buUt a bridge over tho Eden, near its
mouth. Dempster charges him with having written a book, '' Do Reformatione
Cleri et Oratio pro Reformatione oonviviorum et luxus ; " but this leems to have
been simply a speech which he delivered in parliament on the sumptuary laws,
and which, by some miracle, similar to that so often employed by Livy, has
found its wsy into the Scottish histories.

Wardlaw departed this life in his castle of St Andrews, on the 6th day of
April, 1440, and was buried in the church of that city, with great pomp and
splendour, having held his dignified situation for nearly forty years.

WATSON, (Dr) ROBERT, author of the History of the Reign of Philip IL of
Spain, was born at St Andrews about the year 1730. He was the eon of au
apothecary of that city, who was also a brewer. He studied successively at tho
universities of St Andrews, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, with a view to the ministry,
availing himself of the leisure which a course of theology leaves to the student
to cultivate English literature and rhetoric, upon which sutgects he delivered a
series of lectures in Edinburgh, to an audience comprising the principal literary
and philosophical men of the day.

Soon after he had been licensed to preach, a vacancy occurred in one of tho
churches of his native city, and for this he became a candidate, but was disap-
pointed. About this time, however, Mr Rymer, the profeaM>r of logic in St
Salvador's college, feeling tho infirmities of old age advancing upon bun,
was inclined to enter into a negotiation for retiring, and, according to a

DR. ROBERT WATSON. 431

preyailing though not a laudable oustom, Watson obtained his chair for the
payment of a small sura of money, and on the condition that the retiring pro-
fessor should continue to enjoy his salary. The subject of our memoir obtained
at the same time a patent from the crown, constituting him professor of rhetoric
and belles lettres. The study of logic^ in St Andrews, as in most other
places, was confined to syllogisms, modes, and figures. Watson, whose mind
had been expanded by intercourse with the most enlightened men of his day,
and by the study of the best modem literature, prepared and read to his
students a course of metaphysics and logic on an impro?ed plan ; in which he
analyzed the powers of the mind, and entered deeply into the nature of tlie
difierent species of evidence of truth or knowledge.

AAer haring fully orranged the course of his professional duties, Watson was
induced by the success of Robertson and Hume in the composition of history,
as well as by the natural tendencies of his mind, to attempt a work emulating
theirs in labour and utility. The reign of Philip II. of Spain presented itself
to him as a proper subject, not only on account of its intrinsic interest, but as
a continuation of the admired work of Robertson on the preceding reign.
Having therefore prepared this composition irith all due care, it was published
at London in 1777, in two volumes quarta A periodical critic thus charac-
terizes the work : '' The style and narration of this history deserve much
praise ; it is easy, flowing, and natural, ahvays correct, and well adapted to the
diflbrent subjects which come under review ; it possesses, however, more of the
dignified simplicity and strength of the philosopher, than the flowing embel-
lishments of the poet Watson rests none of his merit upon external orna-
ment; he is chiefly anxious to relate facts, clearly and completely in
their due proportion and proper connexion, and to please and interest,
rather by what he has to tell than by any adventitious colouring. But thougli
he does not seem solicitous to decorate his narrative with beauty or sublimity
of diction, we feel no want of it ; we meet with nothing harsh, redundant, or
inelegant ; we can on no occasion say that he lias not done justice to his sub-
ject, that his conceptions are ever inadequate, his views deficient, or his
description feeble. « « * The whole series of events lies full and clear
before us as they actually existed ;' notiiing is heightened beyond truth by the
.false colourings of imagination, nor does anything appear without suitable dig-
nity. The principal circumstances are selected with judgment, and displayed
with the utmost perspicuity and order. On no occasion are we at a loss to ap-
prehend his meaning, or follow the thread of his narrative; we are never
fatigued with minute attentions, nor distracted with a multiplicity of things at
once." ^

On tho death of principal IVillidelph, IVoyember 1777, Watsoo> now graced'
with the degree of doctor of laws, was, through the influence of the earl of
Kinnoul, appointed to that respectable situation^ and, at tho same time, pre-
sented to the ohnreh and parish of St l/conard, in St Andrews, which had pre-
viously been enjoyed by TuUidelph. Dr Watson died March 31, 1781, Icayiog
by bis lady, who was a daughter of Mr Shaw, professor of divinity in St
Mary's college, five daughters. He also left the first four books of a history
of the Reign of Philip III., being a continuation of his former work. The task
of completing this by the addition of two books having been confided to Dr
William Thomson, (see tho life of that gentleman^ tlie work was published at
London in 1783, in one Tolume quarto. Both of this and of the histozy of Plulip
11., there were subsequent editions in octavo.

1 Bee, volumes vil. and vilL

423

JASf BS WATT.

WATT, Jaueb, one of the meet iHqstrtooi nea of ius time «s « natural pU-
Joaopher, cUemiat, and ciril engineer, waa bom at Greenock, on the 19t]i of
'Jannaty, 1736. Hia fatber, James Watt, waa a block-maker and ahip chand-
ler, and for aome time one of the magiatratea of GreenodL; and lua mother,
Agnea Moirhead, was descended from a respectable family. Daring bojhood
his health was very delicate, ao that hia attendanoe at sdiool was by no means
regular; nererthelessy by asaduons ^plication at home, be soon attained great
proficiency in readings writing, and aritboBetie; and, by the perosal of books
that came within his command, he extended his knowledge beyond the circie of
elementary instruction of the public schooLi!, and cherished that thirst for in-
formation which is the characteristic of all men of genins, and fbr which ho was
throughout life remarkable. An anecdote of his boyhood has been presenred,
showing the early bent of his mind. His aunt, Mrs. Muirhead, sttting with him
one eTening at the tea-table^ said, ** James;, I never saw audi an idle boy! Take
a book, or employ yourself usefully ; for the last half hour you have not spoken
a word, but taken off the lid of that kettle, and pot it on agatn." With
the aid alternately of a cup and a aiWer spoon, he waa obsenrhig bow the
sieam rose from the spoui and became eondensed, and waa counting the
drops of water. But there la little incident fai hk lifis until he reached ins
eighteenth year, excepting that he manifested a atrong predilection for mechaid-
cal and mathematical pursuits. In accordance with this natuial bent, he de-
parted for London, In 1754, in order to lean tlie ptoft a a s M a of a watba
matical instrumentpmaker. Whea he aniTcd ia London, he placed hiaiidf
under the direction of a mathematical hiatniaMiit-aiaker, and applied hhnadf
with great assiduity, and with such success, that, although he was obUged, from
want of health, to return to his &ther*s roof in little more than a year, yet he
persereredy and soon attained proficiency in his business. He made ooeasioiial
visits to his mother^s relations in Glasgow, a city at that time oonsidend^ly ad-
Tuncad in that career of manolactttring industry and o pule a c e, lor wMcii it
has in more recent times been so eminently distinguished, in that city, it was
his intention to settle ss a mathematical instniment-mriGer; but he was TioIeBtly
opposed by some corporatioos of the trades, who viewed him as an intruder
upon their privileges, although the businem which he latended to follow, vras at
tliat time little practised in Scotland. By this eecurveaoe, the hopes of Watt
had been well nigh frustrated, and the energies of his inventive mind had
probably been turned in a diflTereat channel from that which distinguirfMd his
future years, had it not been for the kind and well directed patronage of the
professors of the uniTcraity. In tlie year 1757, this learned body, who had at
that time to reckon among their number some of the greatest men then living —
Smith, the political economist. Black, the diemist, and Simson, the geometer —
conferred upon Watt the title of mathematical inatrmnent-maker to the univer-
sity, with all the privileges of that efllce, and chaniben within the walla of
their venerable seminary, adjoining the apartments ooaipied by the cele-
brated printers, the Mesnt Poulis. He continued to prosecnte his avo-
cation in this place for about six years, during which time, so far as health
and necessary employment would permit, be applied himself to the acquisition
of scientific knowledge. It was during this period, also, that he contracted a
lasting friendship with Dr Black, whose n<ime will ever be conspicuous In the
history of philosophy, for his valuable additions to our knowledge of the doc-
trine of heat ; and also with Robison, then a student in Glasgow college,
and who afterwards filled the natural philosophy chair in the university of
Edinburgh.

This period of Watt*s life was mai-ked by an incident, which in itself might

JAMES WLTT. 423

appear trifling, and not at all out of tba eourse of hu ordinary business, but
which was novertheless productive of results, that not only gave imnxntality to
his name, but impressed a great and lasting change on tlie commerce and man-
ners of his own country, and also of a great portion of the world. We here
aDude to a circumstance that shall shortly be mentioned, that led to the im-
provements of Watt oB the steam engine ; and the events of his life are so
intimately interwoven with the history of the perfection of this extraordinary
machine, that it will be necessary, in a brief and popular way, to describe the
leading principles of its action.

The steam engine, at the time of which we speak, was coBStmcted after the
plan invented by Newcomen. The chief use to which these engines were ap-
plied« was the pumping of water from coal mines, one end of tfie pump rod
being attached to a long lever, or beam supported in the middle. To tlie other
end of this lever was attached the rod of a piston, capable of moving up and
down in a cyliwier, aflter the npaoner of a eomason syringe. The weight of
the pomp rod, &c., at the one end of the beam, having caused that end to
descend, the other end was necessarily raised, and, the piston rising in the
cylinder, steam was admitted from the bottom to fili the vaeoity. But when
the piston arrived at the top, cold water wia injected at the bottom, and by
reducing the temperature of the steam, eoodensed it, forming a vacuum. In
this state of things, the atmosphere pressing on the top of the piston, forced it
do>vn, and raised the pump rod at the other end of the beam. This operation
being continued, the pumping of the mine was carried on*. Such was the form
of the steam engine, when Watt first found it ; and such is its construction at
mosy coal mines even in our own day, where the ecooomy of fuel is not a
matter of any importance.

Anderson, the professor of natural philosophy, in the coone of the win-
ter of 1763, sent a model of Neweomenli engine to Mr Watt in order to
be repaired This was aoeordiBgly done, and the model set in operation, and
with this an ordinary mechanic would have been satisfied. But the mind of
the young engineer hod two years before this time beea occupied in researches
into the properties of steam. During the winter of 1761, he made several
very simple yet decisive experiments, for tlM most* part with apothecaries'
phials, by which he fousid that a cubic inch of water will form a cubic
fool of steam, equal in ekstieity to the preasme of the atmosphere, and also
that when a cubic foot of steam is condensed by injecting cold water, tm much
heat is given out as would raise six cubic inches ef water to the i)oiIing point.
To these important dieoeveries in the theory of steam, he aobeequently added
a third, beautifully simple^ as all philosophieal truths are, and, valuable from its
extensive application to pracdeal purposes : he found that the latent heat of
steam decreases as the sensible h^kt increases, and that universally these
two added together make a eoostant quantity whidi is the same for all temper^
atnres. This matter is commonly misrepresented, and it is stated not only in
accounts of the steam engine, but also in memoirs of Mr Watt, that the
discoveries of Dr Black segarding the properties of heat and steam laid the
foundation of all Watt's inventions. Dr Black himself gave a correct state-
ment of the m^ter, and frequently mentioned with great candour, that
firlr Watt discovered unaided the latent heal of steam, and having communi-
cated this to the doctor, that great chemist was agreeably surprised at this
confirmation of the theory he had already formed, md ex^ined that theory
to Mr WaU; a theory which was not made pablio before the year 1762.
During the same year Watt made some experiments with a Papin's digester,
causing the piston of a syringe to move up and down by the force of steam of

424

JAMES WATT.

lii^h temperttore* on the principle of the high pressure engine, notr emplojred
for varioas porposei. But he gave up ihe idea from fear of bnntin^ the
boiler, and the difficulty of making tight jointa. Theie £euA8 are suffident to
prove that he had at tliit time some idea of improring the ateani engine ; and.
he hiuiielf modeftly nyt^ ** My attention was fint directed in 1759, to the sub-
ject of steam engines by Dr Robison, then a student in the unirenity of
Glaigoir, and nearly of my own age. Robison at that time threw out the idea
of applying the power of Uie steam engine to the moving of wheel carriages
and to otlier purposes; but the sdieme was not matured, and was soon
abandoned on his going abroad." His active mind, thus prepared, was not
lilcely to allow the defects of tlie model which was put in his hands to pass un-
observed. This interesting model, which is still preserved among the apparatus
of the Glasgow university, has a cylinder whose diameter is two inches, the
length of stroke being six. Having repaired it, he tried to set it a-going, the
steam being formed in a spherical boiler whose diameter was about nine incfaea.
In the course of these trials he found the quantity of steam, as likenise that
of the cold injection water, to be far greater in proportion, than what he un-
derstood was required for enginea of a larger siae. This great waste of steam,
and consequently fuel, he endeavoured to remedy by forming cylinders of bad
conductors of beat, sucli as wood saturated with oil, but this had not the desired
effect. At last the fact occurred to him, that the cylinder was never suf-
ficiently cooled down in order to obtain a complete vacuum. For some time
before this it lud been found by Dr GuUen tliat under diminished pressure
there is a corresponding fall of the boiling point. It now became necessary to
ascertain the relation which the boiling point bears to the pressure on the sur-
face of the ivater. He was not possessed of the necessary instruments to try
the boiling points under pressures less than that of the atmosphere, but baring
tried numerous points under increased pressures, he laid down a curve whose
ordiuates represented the pressures and abscissas the corresponding boiling
points, and thus discovered the equation of the boiling point. These consider-
ations led Watt, after much reflection, to tlie true method of overcoming the
difficulties in the operation of Newcomen^S engine. The two things to be ef-
fected were, 1st, to keep the cylinder always as hot as the steam to be admitted
into it, and secondly, to cool down the condensed steam and the injection water
used for condensation to a temperature not exceeding 100 degrees. It waa
early in the summer of 17G5 that the method of accomplishing these two ob*
jects was first matured in his mind. It then occurred to him tliat if a communi-
cation were opened between a cylinder containing steam and another vessel
exhausted of air and other fluids, the steam would immediately rush into the
empty vessel, and continue so to do until an equilibrium was established, and
by keeping that vessel very cool the steam would continue to enter and be con-
densed* A difficulty still remained to be overcome, how waa Uie condensed
steam and injection water, together with the air, which must necessarily ac>
company, to be withdrawn from the condensing Tossel. Watt thought of two
methods, one by a long pipe, sunk into the earth, and the other by employing
a pump, wrought by the engine itself; the latter was adopted. Thus waa
laid open the leading principle of a machine the most powerful, the moat
regular, and the most ingenious, ever invented by man.

Watt constructed a model, the cylinder of which was nine inches diameter,
making several improvemenU besides those above alluded to. He surrounded
the cylinder with a casing, the intervening space being filled with steam to
keep the cylinder warm. He also put a cover on the top, causing the piston
rod to move through a hole in it, and the piston was rendered air-tight by

JAM£S WATT. 425

being lubricated u-ith vmx and tallow, instead of water as formerly. The
model answered the expectations of the inventor, but in the course of his trials
the beam broke, and he set it aside for some time.

In tracing the progress of improvement in the steam engine, we hare been
oblige^ to pass over some incidents in his life which took place during the
same period, and which we now proceed to notice. In the course of the year
1763, Mr Watt married his cousin Miss Miller, daughter of the diief
magistrate of Calton, Glasgow; preriously to which he removed from his
apartments in the college, and opened a shop in the Saltmarket, opposite St
^drew^s Square, for the purpose of carrying on bis business as Mathematical
and Philosophical instrument-maker. Here he applied himself occasionally in
making and repairing musical instrtmoents, and made several improvements on
the organ. He afterwards removed to Buchanan's land in the Trongate, a lit-
tle west of the Tontine, and in 1768 he shut shop, nnd removed to a private
house in King Street, nearly opposite to the Green market It was not, how*
ever, in any of these residences that the interesting experiments and valuable
discoveries connected with the steam engine were made ; the experiments were
performed, and the model erected in the delft work at the Broomielaw quay,
in which concern Watt soon after became a partner, and continued so to the
end of his life.

In 1765, Dr Lind brought from India a perspective machine, invented there
by a Mr Hurst, and showed it to his friend Mr Watt, who, by an ingenious
application of the principle of the parallel ruler, contrived a machine
much lighter, and of more easy application. Many of these machines were
made and sent to various parts of the world ; and Adams, the eminent philoso-
phical instrament-maker, copied one of those sent to London, and made them
for sale.

Mr Watt, having relinquished the business of mathematical Instrument-
maker, commenced that of civil engineer, and in the coane of 1767, he sur-
veyed the Forth and Clyde canal ; but the bill for carrying on this great and
beneficial public work being lost in parliament, bis attention was directed to
the superintendence of the Monkland canal, for which he had preriously pre-
pared the estimates and a surrey. He likewise surveyed for the pro-
jected canal between Perth and Forfar, as also for the Crinan canal, which
was subsequently executed under the superintendence of Rennie.

In 1773, the importance of an inhuid navigation in the northern part of
Scotland between the eastern and western seas became so great, tliat Mr Watt
was employed to make a survey of the Caledonian canal, and to report on the
practicability of connecting that lemaikablo chain of lakes and valleys.
These surveys he made, and reported so favourably of the practicability of
the undertaking, that it would have been immediately executed, had not the
forfeited lands, from which the funds were to be derived, been restored to their
former proprietors. This great national wor|c was afterwards executed by Mr
Telford, on a more magnificent scale than bad originally been intended.

What Johnson said of Goldsmith may with equal justice be applied to
Watt, ^' he touched not that which he did not adorn.'' In the course of his
surveys, his mind was ever bent on improving the inslrumente he employed, or
in inventing others to liiGiiitete or correct his operations. During the period
of which i|e have been speaking be invented two micrometers for measuring dis>
tanoes not easily aeoessible, such as arms of the sea. Five years after the inven.
tton of these ingenious instruments, one Mr Green obtained a premium for an in-
▼entioD similar to one of them, from the Society of Arts, notwithstanding the
eyidenoe of Smeaton and other nroofii that Watt was tlie original contrives;

42«

JAVE8 WA.TT.

Mr Wall mff\M te lettM pttoiit in 1768, for ** HMHiods of kiMiiii|r Um
eaanamptimik of fteaoi, and eonMqiiently of futl Hi tlio wfam ongteOy** wiiieii
paved the feab in January, 1769. Batldet llio inproreaentt, or ntber isven-
tioM, akoady allttded fta, tkie plant oonlaiMd in ill ^eeificaCiofi wntAoiM to
employ tiM elaaM espanriTaly upon Ae pif too, and, wheio water ivae not plevtl-
All, to wcflk tbe onfine by tlM foree of ateam oidy, by ^laOmiffiwtg tlM ilaan
into tba open air «ior it hae dona iti oAoa ; and aleo aMtbode of fonmi^ a
rolatary etaaai angina. Tiwf wu ooMpleted Watfi ainglo reetprooiting oi^^ina,
and ofhila tha patenl nat paoing'tbrougb Aa di*RM« ilagee an o nfiag o iMo t
WM onteaad into boinoan Aa Saventer ami Dr Bo eb ndc of IJho Canon Ma
iforkt, a Man e^nrily OHfaent Ut kindna« of heart, dbUfty, and enlerpriee.
Tbo lenai of tWe agneaent aww, that Dr Roebuck, in coneidewilon of hk riek
of eapilal, Aould roeelfo two- t h ir de of tfio elear proflli of Ae ttle of the
enfinee which they manafafltarad. Dr Rooback at Aie Ihno ranted tha tai^
eeal lainee at KinnoH, near Doi ^o w i t owpneie, and nnder the lupari ntende noe of
.Mr Watt aa angina waa oveeted at Kinneil hooM, the cylinder of irhloh was
Made of bloek tin, being eighteen inohes diaaMtor. The aotlon of Aie engine
far wrpaMed oran the wngaino oxpoetatioai of the pro p rie to w. Frepantiom
ii>ere a u e oidingl y Huide for the «anu&elare of the now eteam engine ; but the
pecuniary difficulties in which Dr Roebudc became at thii time inrolfod, tlirew
a check on the p r o oee d ingii fVom Aif period till the end of 1779, dnringr
whidi time, ai we hare eeon, Mr Watt waa employod in furteyi, Ac, IHtle naa
done with the patent right obtefnod in 1769. About the end of the year
1779, wMIe Mr Watt was en gage d in Me surrey of the Caledonian canal, he
recoil intiantion from Gbagow of the deaA of his wifb^ who left him a
son and a daughter.

Hii fame as an engineer had now become generally known, and about
the commenosBont of 1774, he reeeired an inritation from Mr Matthew
Bcahon, of the 8cho ibundeiy, near l U r mi ngham, to enter Into copaitaenhtp,
for the manafacfeure of the eteam engine. Mr Watt premiled upon Dr Rco-
buck to sell his Aaio of the patent right to Mr Bonlton, and immediately pro-
ceeded to Binaingham, and entered on bu s l n ew wHh his new partner. This
new alliance waa not only exceedingly fortanate for the parties themselres, but
forms an important era in the history of tlie monuflictures of Oreat Britain.
Few men were so well ^idifled as BouHon to appreciate the merits of Watt's
inrenlions, or possessed of so much entefprise and capital to pot them Into
operation. Ho had already established Ae foondery at Soho on a scale of
magnificence and airtent, not at Aat time elsewhere to be found ; and the In-
troduction of Watt made aa incalculable addition to the extent and regularity
of ilBc^enthHi.

The length of time and great outlay necessary for bringing the manufacture
of steam ei^nes to such a state as wmdd yield a remuneration, was now appa-
rent to Mr Watt, and he deariy mw that the few years of his patent which had
yet to run, would not be by any means suAcfent to yield an adequate return.
Early, therefore, in 1774, he applied for an extension of his patent right, and
by the sealous assistance of Dis Roebuck and Robison, he obtained Als four
years afteriTards, Ao extension being granted for tiTonty-Ave years. The year
foUoiring the first application for Ae extension of the patent, the manufacture
of steam engines was commenced at Soho, under the firm Boulton,-Watt, and
Ca Many engines were made at this foondery, and licenses granted to miners
in rarious parts of Ae country to use their engines, on condition that Ao
patentees should receire a Aird part of the saring of coals of the new engine,
compared wlA oAe of the same power on Neivoomen's construction, An ide.!

JA1I18 WATT. 427

iMy b« farsud of the profili sriitDg by tlus ammgtnMtty wlieo w« know that
firon tka popneton vf Uir«« large eDgiiim ereflted at Chaieewater in ComwaUy
W«tt and Boullon rmsemd jCSOO aanually.

John SafMstoD had for nauiy ytan bean employed in erecting and improving
Ike iteaai engine on Newcemen's principle^ and di^ at much for iti perleeiion
aa beottty and prepevfcien of lueebanio^ oonatructien coeld e^ct. The hmm of
SmeaUm deea not rert en hU laipreTemenli on the fteam en^pne. What he has
dene in other departmesta of engineering, ia amply fufficient t» rank him tw
one ef the mert ingeaioua amn Engftaad erer prodaoad. Yet even ivhat he hae left
biddnd hii% in the impel riment ef Ne«oomen*f engine^ ia well worthy the
Btudy, and will erer ettcit the admiration, of tiie pradical mechanic To a man
of weaker mind than gnieato»» it nmet hare been gelling to lee all the ingemtiiy
and applicatiea whksh ho had bestowed on tho iubjtet of steam power, rendered
almost useless by the dieeovery of a yonnger man* Yet when he saw Watt*s
Improremont, ho waa atmek with ite exoellonoe and simpliitKy, and with that
. rendinesa and eandour which are erer Che assoriatei of tme genius, he coni-
maniaated to ASr Walt, by a eeaspMrneatwy letter, the high opinion he held
of hia invention ; admititng that '' the aid engine^ ovmi when made to do its
best^ waa now drtre» from every plaoa, wfaeio fnel ce ni d bo oonudeted of any
valaek" How diffRont this Imn the treatmont he reeeived from inforior in*
diridaals^lahoiainginthosamefieldl His right to the invention of a separate
ooadenaer, waa dispi^ed by aoveral, whose chiims wosw publicly and mtiafac-
torily ieliited» Among Qtbes% ho was nttaeked in a strain of vulgar abuse, and
a timuo of amnt JMaehoods, by a Mr HonsUower, who wrote Ae artide
'' Steam Engine,** in the first and seoond editions of Gregory's Meehamos.
This Mr Homblewer, not osntonted with ginng his own ahaBow ovidence
agnkmt Watt, has, with the ch a w e t eri st ic grotelUng which penndes the whole
of hia article, ondeaTOusod to giro weight to his assertions, by associating with
himself a respectable mam Mr Hmmblower atato% that, in n oanvenation with
Mr & Moor, eeceetary to the Society for the Enseuisgemaat of Arts, that
gontloHMn had stated that Mr GSainsbovoMgh waa tho trao inventor of tlie sepa«
rate condenssst Mr Moce had donbilem an intimate knowledge of tho true
state of tho amtter ; and, fertnnately for hie aoputatiesi as a sinosre and candid
man, we find him oontrovert thia open oath, at hia exnminatlon in the cme,
WaU and Boulton MTsna Bull, in 1798.

In 1775, Mr Watt married, foe the aecend thna The hidy, Mte M'Gro-
gor, waa tho danghier of Mr M'Greger, a wealthy merchant of Glasgow, who,
as will be seen hereafter, was the first in Britain, in oonjuBdion with Mr Watt»
to apply chlorine in tlie proosm of bleacbsng^ From tbie time. Watt applied
hiflMolf amidttowly to the improvement of that poworful madnne for which
be had ahready done so auidk In 1781, he took ovt a patent for the re-
gulating motion, and that boautifol oentrivanoe, the sun and planet wheel.
The short history of this loiter invention, givee an apt ilkistawtion of hie
exhauatlesa powers of oontrivanca» For tlie purpeso of converting the re-
ciprocating motion of the large beam into a rotatory movement for driring
machinsry, ho had reoeurse to that simple contavanea^ tho cnink ; but whiW
it was preparing at Sobo, one of tho workmen commundcalod it to Mr Steed, who
imm ediately teek out a patent, and thna frustratfd Wati*s viewat Mr Watt be-
thought himself of a substitnfe, and hit upon the happy idea of tho aun and
phmet wheoL This and the like oocurrencea nmy hairo given him that fond-
nem for patents, wiih which he has frequently been charged.

During the coune of the following year, two dietinct patents were granted to
Mr Watt, one in February, and tho other in July, for an expaneive engine—

428 JAMES WATT.

six ooDtriTBDoes for regulating the motion — doable octiDg engine — two eylin-
dert — parallel motion , by rack and sector — semirotatiTO engine — and steam
wheel. A third was granted in 1784, for a rotattre engine — paiailel mo-
tions — portable engine and steam carriage — woricing hammers — improred
band gear, and ne\T method of working the Talres. The most important of
these inventions are, the double acting engine, in which steam b admitted
both below and abore the piston alternately, steam pressure being thus em-
ployed to press on each side of the piston, while a racuum was formed over the
other. By this contrirance, he was enabled to double the power of the en-
gine, without increasing the dimensions of the cylinder. To the complete
eflecting of tliis, he was obliged to cause the piston rod to more through a stuf.
fiug box at the top of the cylinder ; a contrivance, it must be stated, which had
been some years previous applied by Smeaton, in the construction of pumpe.
Simple as these additions may at first appear, they were, neverthelem, followed
by many great advantages. They Incr^Med the uniformity of motion, and at
the same time diminished the extent of cooling surface, the siie of boiler, and
the weight and magnitude of the whole machinery. Another vast improvement
involved in these patents, is tlie expansive engine in which the steam was
let fully in, at the beginning of the stroke, and the valves shut, when the
piston had advanced through a part of its progress, the rest being ooropletod by
the expansion of the steam ; which arrangement greatly increases the poirer.
This engine was included in the patent for 1783 ; though Mr Hemblower had
published something of the same nature the year before. But an engine on
the expansive principle was erected by Watt at Shad well iron works in 1778,
and even two years before expansive engines had been manufaclured at Soho ;
facts which seaire to Watt the honour of the priority of discovery. That in-
genious combination of levers which guided the piston rod, and is called the
parallel motion, was secured by patent of 1784, and remains to this day
unsurpamed as a beautifully simple mechanical contrivance.

In 1785, a patent was granted to Mr Watt for a new method of OMwtructing
furnaces, and the consumption of smoke. He likewise applied to the steam
engine the governor, or conical pendulum, the steam and oondenslon gauges,
and the indicator. About the same time, in consequence of the delay and ex-
pense attendant on the numerous experiments towards the perfection of this
vast creator and distributor of power, he found it necessary to apply to par-
liament for an extension of his patent, which \n» granted to the end of the
eighteenth centory. By this grant, the proprietors of tlie Soho foundery were
enabled speedily to realise a great fortune.

In the winter of the year 1786, the subject of this memoir, together with
his able and active partner, went to Paris, at the solicitation of the French
government, in order to improve the method of raising water at Blarley. Here
Mr Watt met with most of the eminent men of science, who at tliat time
adorned the French metropolis ; and among the rest^ the celebrated chemist,
Berthollet The French philosopher had discovered, in 1785, the bleaching
properties of chlorine, and communicated the fiict to Mr Watt^ with die power
of patenting the invention in England. This Mr Watt modestly dedined do-
ing, on the ground that he ivas not the author of the discovery. Mr Watt saw
the value of this new process, and communicated the matter, through the course
of the following year, to his father-in-kw, Mr M'Gregor, who at that time car-
ried on a large bleaching establishment in the vicinity of Ghugow. He sent
an account of the process, together with some of the bleaching liquor, in March,
1787 ; and the process of bleaching by the new method was immediately com-
menced at Mr M*Gregor*s field, and five hundred pieces weie speedily executed

JAMES WATT. 429

to entire satisfaction. Early in the following year, two foreigners made an
attempt to gain a patent for the new bleaching process ; but they were opposed
by Mr Watt, and Messrs Cooper and Henry of Manchester, all of whom had
already bleached by Berthollefs method. Notwithstanding the misreprcsenta-
tioni in several histories of bleaching, it is manifest from these facts, as well as
from the dates of sereral letters of Mr Watt and Mr Henry, that the great ira-
prorer of the steam engine, had also the honour of introducing the process of
bleachii^ by chlorine into Great Britain; and though he was not the original
discoverer, yet he greatly simplified and economised the process of obtaining
the discharging agent employed, and the vessels and other arrangements used
in the art of bleaching. Among other improvements may be mentioned, his
method of testing the strength of Uie chlorine liquor, by ascertaining how
much of it is necessary t6 discharge the colour of a given quantity of infusion
of cochineal. The benefits which Mr >yatt conferred on chemical science, did
not terminate here. From a letter written to Dr Priestley in 1783, and in
another to M. De Luc, in the same year, he communicated his important dis-
covery of the composition of water. But in the beginning of the following
year^ IVIr Cavendish read a paper on the same subject, claiming to himself the
honour of discovery ; ai:d in the histories of chemistry, the claims of Caven-
dish are silently admitted. There is a confusion of dates in the documents on
tliis subject^ which at the present day it is impossible to reconcile ; but from the
characters of the two men, we are inclined to think that each made the dis-
covery independently of the other, and that therefore the credit is due to
both. Mx WaU's letter to M. De Luc was read before the Royal Society, and
published in their Transactions for 1784, under the title of Thoughts on the
Constituent parts of Water, and of Dephlogisticated Air ; with an Account of
some Experiments on that subject.*' Mr Watt also contributed a paper on the
medical properties and application of the factitious airs, to the treatise of Dr
Beddoes on pneumatic medicine, and continued during the latter period of his
life deeply to engage himself in chemical pursuits.

A patent was granted to Mr Watt in 1780, for a machine for copying let-
ters and drawings. This machine, which soon became well known, and exten-
sively used, was manufactured by Messrs Boulton and Kier, under the firm of
James Watt and Company. He was led to this invention, from a desire to
abridge the time necessarily spent in taking copies of the numerous letters he
was obliged to write. It was constructed in two forms, on the principle of the
rolling press, one of them being large, and fitted for oflices ; the other light,
and capable of being inclosed in a portable writing desk. Through the course
of the following year, Mr Watt invented a steam drying apparatus, for his
friend, Mr McGregor, of Glasgow. For this machine he never took out a patent,
although it was the first thing of the kind ever contrived; nor was there ever any
drawing or description of it published during his lifetime.^ During the winter
of 1784, Mr Watt made arrangements for heating his study by steam ; which
method haa since been extensively applied to the heating of private houses, con-
servatories, hot-bouses, and manufoetories. Concerning the history of this ap-
paratus, it is but justice to state, that colonel Cook liad, in the Philosophical
Transactions for 1745, described a method of '* heating apartments by means of
the steam of water conveyed along the wtills by pipes ;'' but there is no proof
that this was known to Mr Watt

In the year 1800, Mr Watt withdrew from the concern at Soho, delivering
his share of the business to his two sons, James and Gregory, the latter of whom
died in the prime of life, much regretted by all who knew him. After
' See Edinburgh E11C3C. xviif., Steam Drying.

430

JAMES WATT.

YuLnug giv«n ampla proofs of gieafc mental endowmenU Mr Watt thai retired
from buaineity with a well earned conpeteDcyy wfiidi enabM hia to enjoy tlia
ofWiiBf of a n-ell ipent lUe with eaee and comfort in Vke boeoni of hia fiunily.
At no time had he taken any actire thare in the nunageniMit ef the buci-
neia of the Soho foundery, nor wete hit Tiiito to it, eren while he waa a partner,
hy any meani frequent. Mr Boidton was a Man of exorileni addrea^ gKot
wealth, of bosiness habits, and full of enterprbe, sod coniriboted greatly to die
improtement of the steam engine, by taking upon himaelf the entire aKumge-
■lent of the wotks at Soho: he thtis relieved from all worldly eoocem, the mind
of his illustrious partner, which was nwch more proitobly employed on these
pvofomid and valuable reaeardies, by whidi be has added so largely to the
lield of science. As Dupin well obserres, ** men wbo derote themmlres en-
tirely to the improrement of industry, will fesl in all their farce the ssrrices
that Boolton has rendered to the arU and mechaaicai sdenees, by fieeing the
genius of Watt from a crowd of eirtraneoos difficulties which woald have con-
smned those days thai were far better dedicated to the imprerement «f the
nsefiil arts.**

Although Mr Watt letned from pubUc basinem, he did not lelaz in bis ar.
dear for scientific paraoils and new inventiona. Towssrda the end ef tlte year
1809,he wasapplied to by the Ghisgow Water Company to aasiet th«m^ Panting
out a method of leading ntiter acrom the river, from a well es the aoatk side^
which afforded a natural fther. From a consideration of the struetana ef the
lobster's tail, he formed the idea of a flexible main, with ball ami sodcet
joints^ to be laid acrom the bed of the rirer, and wfcidi waa canrtmcted aooaid-
ing to his plan in the summer of 1810. Thb ingenioaa eontriTaBce gave anch
satisfaction, that another predsely stmifan' waa added a shot! time afterwvdbi
Two years subsequent to this, he received the thanks of the Bemrd ef Adannky,
for his opinion and adviee regarding the forasatiott of the deck* thea cmrr^^ig
on at Sheemess.

About the yonr 1813, it was proposed to publish a complete edttiesi ef Dr
RobiBOn*s works, and the materials were delivered, for the purpose of editing,
into the hands of his able friend, Playfrir, who, not having* aoAckmi leisore
for sndi an undertaking, transmitted them to Sir D. B^wster. The latter
gentleman applied to Mr Watt for his a s sista nce in te levnion of the article
** Steam Engine,** for which article he had originally tewisiwd seme malsrials,
when it first nppeared in the Encyclopmdia Britannica; and to the artida, in its
new form, he furnished many valuable cmrrections and additiona.

In 1817, Mr Watt paid a visit to hie native eotmtry ; and it surprieed and
delighted his friends to find that he enjoyed good health, his mind p eemss ed its
wonted vigour, and bis convermtion its wonted eharmsL Daring the last years
of his life, he employed himself in contriving a asacbiiie ftv taking copies of
pieces of sculpture. This madiine never received the finishing tondi of its in*
ventor^s hand ; but it was brought to such peH^iBetion, that seven spednwna were
executed by it in a very creditable maaaer. Some of these he distributed
among his friends, <' ns the productions of a young ailisi, just enl s s i ng his
etgbty.thrrd year.*' When this machine was considerably advmwed in osHSMe-
tion, Mr Watt lenmed that a neighbonring gentlemaii had been fer aeme lime
engaged in a similar undertaking ; and a prt^posal waa nrnde to Mr Watt, ^t
they should jointly take out a patent, which he declined, en the grmmd, that
from his advanced age, it would be unwise for him to enter upon any new spe-
culation. It \roM ahmys Mr Watt's opinion that this gentleman had no know-
ledge whatever of the construction of the machine.

The health of Mr AVatt* which was naturally delicate^ became gradually bet-

JAMSS WATT. 431

tor towBfds tbe latter period of hii long and uaefiil Ufa. Inteiife iu»«*l<u*^
arinng from an organic defect in the digesUre tyatem, often afflicted hin,
lliete were often aggrarated and induoed by the eevere itudy to whidi he oen-
monly subjected tiimtelf, and tbe perplexity arising from the frequent Uw.
iuits in which he had been engaged towards the close of the eighteenth cen-
tury. It must not be inferred from this last statement, that this great man,
whose discoreries we hare been recounting, was by any means litigiously in-
dined. His quiet and peaceful mind was ever disposed to shrink from the
agitations of paper wars and law pleas, and to repose in the quiet retreats e£
science. Many attempts were made .to pirate his InTontions and to encroach
upon his patent rights, against which he never made any otiier defence than
that which become an lioneet man, f. e. an appeal for the protection of tlie law
of the land. He lived to see all these attempts to rob him of the profits of his
inventions, as well as the envy and detraction which are ever the followers of
merit, silenced for ever, and terminated a long, useful, and honourable life in
the full possession of his mental faculties, at his residence at Heathfield in Staf«
fordshire, on the fiSth of August, 1819, having readied his eighty-fourth
year.

The fame of Watt will In future agee vest secure upon the imperishable basis
of his many discoveries, and he will ever be ranked in the first class of those
great men who have benefited the human race by the improvement of the arts
of industry and peace. Even during his lifetime this was knoun and reoog>
nized, and he received several honorary distinctions. In 1764, he wns elected
a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the year following he became
fello^v of the Royal Society of London. In 1787, he was chosen correspond-
ing member of the Batavian Society; in 1606, he received the honorary de-
gree of ULuD, from the university of Glasgow ; and ten years later, he was
made a member of the national institute of France.

Respecting the private character of Watt it would be difficult to communi-
cate an adequate idea of its excellence. Those who knew him will ever
remember that in his private intercourse with society he elicited from them
more love and admiration than tliey can ever express. He was benevolent and
kind to all those who came about him, or solicited either his patronage or ad-
vice. His conversation was easy, fluent, and devoid of all formality ; replete
with profound and accurate information on all subjects, blended with pertinent
and amusing anecdote — such that, when combined with his plain unafiected lan-
guage, the mellow tones of his manly voice, his natural good humour and ex-
pressive countenance, produced an efl^ct on those around him which will
hardly ever fade from memory. He read much, and could easily remem-
ber and readily apply all that was valuable of what he read. He was
versed in several of the modem languages, antiquities, law, and the fine arts,
and was largely read in light literature. His character was drawn up by his
friend Francis JeflVey, with a fidelity and eloquence that has made it
knoim to almost every one. We will, therefore, forbear to quote it here, and
bring this memoir to a conclusion by placing before the reader what has been
said of Watt by his illustrious countryman and friend, the author of Waverley.
In the playful letter to captain Clutterbuck in the introduction to the Monas-
tery, Sir Walter Soott gives the following lively description of his meettog (n
Edinburgh with this remarkable man :-»*'Did you know the celebrated Watt of
Burmingham, captain Qutterbaok f I believe not, though, fW>m what I am about
to state, he would not have failed to have sought an acquaintance with you.
It was only once my fortune to meet him, whether in body or in spirit it matters
not. There were aowmbled about half a score of our northern lights, who had

432

JAMES WATT.

•mongst them, heaven knows how, a well known character of your country,
Jodediah CleUhbotham. ThU worthy person having come to Edinburgh during
the Christmas vacation, had become a sort of lion in the place, and was led lo
leash from house to house along witk the guiaaards, the stone eater, and other
amusemenU of the season, which 'exhibit their unparalleled feaU to private
family parties, if required/ Amidst this company stood Mr Watt, tho maa
whoso genius discovered the means of multiplying our national resources to
a degree perhaps even beyond his own stupendous powers of calculation and
combination, bringing the treasures of the abyss to tho summit of the earth;
giving the feeble arm of man tho momentum of an Afrite; commanding manu-
factures to arise, as the rod of the prophet produced water in the desert;
affording the means of dispensing with that time and tido which wait for no
man, and of sailing without that wind which defied the commands and threats
of Xerxes himself. This potent commander of tho elements— this abridgcr of
time and space— this magician, whose cloudy machinery has produced a change
on the world, the eflfects of which, extraordinary as they are, aro perhaps
only now beginning to be felt— was not only the most profound man of science,
the most successful combiner of powers and calculator of numbers, as adapted
to practical purposes— was not only one of the most generally well informed,
but one of the best and kindest of human beings.

" There he stood, surrounded by the littie band I Imve mentioned of north-
cm literati, men not less tenacious, generally speaking, of their own famo
and their own opinions than the national regiments are supposed to be jealous
of tlxe high character which they have guned upon service. Methinks I yet
see and hear what I shall never see and hear again. In his eighty-fifth year,
the alert, kind, benevolent old man had his attention at every one's question,
his information at every one's command. His talents and fancy overflowed
on every subject. One gentleman was a deep philologist; he talked with
him on the origin of the alphabet as if he had been coeval with Cadmus :
another was a celebrated critic; you would have said the old man had studied
political economy and belles lettres all his life; of science it is unnecessary
to speak, it was his own distinguished walk. Aud yet, captain Clntterbuck,
when he spoke with your countryman, Jedediah Cleishbotiiam, you would
have sworn he had been coeval with Clavcrse and Burley, with the persecutors
and persecuted, and could number every shot tlie dragoons had fired at the fugi-
tive Covenanters. In fact, we discovered that no novel of the least celebrity
escaped his perusal, and that the gifted man of sdence was as much addicted to
the productions of your native country, (the Und of Utopia aforesaid ;) in other
word^ as shameless and obstinate a peruser of novels as if he had been a very
millioer's apprentice of eighteen."

A highly characteristic statne of Watt, by Chanfrey, adonis a Gothic monu-
ment reared to his memory, by his son, Mr James Watt, who died June 2, 1848,
in his 80th year. Three other statues of him by Chantrey have been erected—
one of them, of colossal size, stands in Westminster Abbey, and bears an elegant
inscription by lord Brougham. The countenance of this statue has been cha-
racterised as the personification of abstract thought. Glasgow possesses the other
two— one of marble. In the museum of the university, and the other of bronae,
in George's Square. His native town of Greenock has also rendered appropriate
homage to his genius, by erecting not only his statue but a public library, which
bears his name. An admirable Elogo on Watt and his inventions was pronounced
before the National Institute of France by tho late M. Arago. Lord Brougham
has ahio celebrated his merits In his Historical Account of the Composition of
Water, which Is published as an appendix to the Eloge.

nOBERT WATT, MJ). 433

WATT, RoBBKT, M.D., the author of the Bibliotheca Bbitannica, and of
several medical treatises, was born in May, 1774. His father, John Watt,
possessed a small farm, called Muirhead, in the parish of Stewarton, Ayrshire,
TThich had belonged to the family for several generations, but which was sold
shortly after his death, in 1810. Robert was the yonngest of three sons; and,
with his elder brothers, was employed, dnriag his boyhood, in attending
school, and in assisting his father in the management of the foirm. His early
life, it would seem, was subject to considerable hardships, and afforded few op.
portunities for cuUivating his mind. In a letter of his now before ns, written
a short time before his death, we find the following notanda of his early years,
prepared at the request of a friend. After recording his recollections of an
English school, to which he was sent at the age of five or six, and where he
learned to read, write, and count, the narrative proceeds: —

*' About the age of thirteen, I became a ploughboy to a farmer in a neigh-
bouring parish. After this, I was sometimes at home, and sometimes in
the senrice of otheiP people, till the age of seTcnteen. Before this age, I had
begun to acquire a taste for reading, and spent a good deal of my time in that
way. The boolcs I read were sudi as I found about my father^s house ; among
which I remember the "Pilgrim's Progress," ** The Lives of Scotch Wor-
thies," && A spirit for extending my knowledge of the country, and other
things, had manifested itself early, in various forms. When very young, my
great ambition was to be a chapmiui ; and it was long before the sneers of my
friends could drive me from this favourite project It was the same spirit, and
a wish of doing something for myself, that made me go into the service
of other farmers. I saw more than I did at home, and I got money which I I
could call my own. My father's circumstances were very limited ; but they
were equal, with his own industry, to the bringing up of his family, and
putting them to trades. This was his great wish. I remember he preferred a
trade greatly to being farmer's servants.

'' With a view to extend my knowledge of the country, I went with a party
into Galloway, to build stone dykes. On getting there, howCTer, the job which
we had expected was abandoned, on account of some difference taking place
between the proprietor of the land and the cultivator; and we went to
the neighbourhood of Dumfries, where our employer had a contract for making
part of the line of rond from Sanquhar to Dumfries. During my short stay in
Galloway, which wos at Loch Fergus, in the ricinity of Kirkcudbright,
I lodged in a house where 1 had an opportunity of reading some books, and saw
occasionally a newspaper. This enlarged my views, increased the desire to see
and learn more, and made me regret exceedingly my short stay in the
place.

*' On our arrind at Dumfries, we were boarded on the farm of Ellisland, in
the possession of Robert Burns. The old house which he and his family had
recently occupied became our temporary abode. This was only for a few days.
I was lodged, for the rest of the summer, in a sort of old castle, called, the
Isle, from its haring been at one time surrounded by the Nith. While at El-
lisland, I formed the project of going up to England. This YiTM to be accom-
plished by engaging as a drover of some of the droves of cattle that continually
pass that way from Ireland and Scotland. My companions, however, disap-
proved of tlie project, and I gave it up.

*' During the summer I spent in Dumfries-shire, I had frequent opportunities
of seeing Bums ! but cannot recollect of having formed any opinion of him,
except a confused idea that he was an extraordinary character. While here, I
read Bums^s Poems ; and, from an acquaintance with some of his relations, I

IV, a I

434 KOBERT WATT. M.D.

oocMtoflBHy got from fan library a reading of other worfci of the ame kind.
With thofo I mod to retire into lome of the ooneealed plaeee on the banka of
the Nitb, and pan my leiwnre houn in readings and occarionally tried my hand
in writing rhynea myielC My baineH at thia time conmted chiefly in drfrinf
■tonea, ftom a distance of two or three miles, to baild bridges and sewera.
This occupation gaie me a further opportunity ^ pemsing books, and
although, from the deniltory nature of my reading, I made no proicieaey in
any one thing, I ao^ired a sort of smattering knowledge of many, and a de>
sire to learn more. From this period, indeed, I date the osnmencement of
my literary pursuitap

" On my return home, the fint use I aude of the money I had saved wh
to purchase a copy of Bailey's Dictionary, and a copy of Bom's English grani-
iiiar. With these I began to instruct myself in the prinei^ ef the Ei^iish
language, in the best way I could.

** At tfiis time, my brother John, who had been in Glasgow Isr stfenl
years, following the businen of a joiner and cabinetmaker, came heme, with
the design of beginning boaineis for himself in the eoontry. It wsa pi tyos od
that I skmuld join hhn. This was very agreeable to me. I had, at that time, no
Tiews of anything higher ; and it accorded well with the first bent of my aund,
i^hich was strongly indined to mechanics. If of late all my spare hours had
been deroted to reading, at an earlier period they had been efually de vui a d to
mechanics. When rery young, I had erected a turning hth in my Alher'a
bsm ; had procured planes, chisels, and a rariety of ether implemeBli^ iriiieh I
could use with no smaD degree of dexterity.

*'For some time my mind was wholly occupied with my new trade.
I acquired condderable knowledge and fiictlity in constructing most of the dif>
ferent implements used in husbandry, and could also do a little m a cabtnet-
naker. But I soon began to feel less and lem interest in my new imp l oj. .
ment My business came to be a repetition of the same tiling, and lost i^ its
charan of nofelty and inrention. The taste for reading, which I had brought
from the south, though it had suffered some abatement, had not left me. I was
occasionally poring orer my dictionary and granmnr, and other vslnnieB that
came in my way.

^ At this time, a drcumsfamce occurred which gsre my- mind an entirely
new bent My brother, while at Glasgow, had formed a rery dose intfanacy
with a student there. This young gentiemao, during the Tseation, came out
to see my brother, and pam a few days in the country. Fiwn him I iwosrved
manrellons accounts of what mighty things were to be learned, what wondem
to be seen — about a university ; and I imbibed an unquenchable desne to fol-
low his coune."

Here his own aocoont of himself doses^ and what we have to add must of
conne be deffcient in that interest which attachea itself to aU personal memoirs
that are written with frankness and sincerity. The newly-imbibed desira of an
Maderaical edocation, to which he aDudes, was not transient in ite character.
To prepare himself for ite accomplishment, he hud aside as much <a his earnings
as he eould spare, and applied himself, in the interval of manual occupa-
tion, to the LaUn and Greek languages. It was not long era he thus qualified
niauelf for beginm'ng his course at the onivenity. In 1795, at the age of
eighteen^he nmtriculated in the Glasgow college, under profemor Ridiartbon ;
and, fhmi that penod, went ragularly through the successive dsssoa in the uni-
versity, up to the year 1797. During the summer raoesses, he supported him-
•elf by teaching, at first as a prirate tutor ; but latterly he took up a small
public sdHM^ in the villago of Symington, in Ayrshira. It was his first

ROBERT WATT, MJD.

435

determination to follow tlie clerical profenioo ; bat after he had attended two
miiont at the DiWnity Hall of Glasgow, he turned hiimelf to the study
of nedscine; and, in order to hare erery advantage towards acquiring
a proficiency in that hrandi of knowledge, lie remored to Edinburgh, whidi
has been so long celebrated as a medical school. Here he remained until he
had gene through the usual studies of the science.

In 1799, he returned to Glasgow; and, after an examination by the
frcnlty of Physicians and Surgeons there, he was ftrand ' a lit and capable per.
son to exercise the arts of suigery and pharmacy.' In the same year, he set
up as sui^geon in the town of Paisley ; and soon began to attain gieat popular-
ity in his profession, and to reap the reward of his talenU and perseverance.
In a afaori time he had engrossed so much practice, te to find it ne-
eassary to take in, as partner and amistant, Mr James Muir, who bad been
his feUow student at Edinburgh. This gentleman possesaed considerable
' liteaury abilities, and was author of rarioua pieces of a didactic character,
which appeared in the periodicals of the day. On his death, which hap-
pened emrly in life, he left behind him, in Huinuscript, a volume of mis-
cellaneoiM essays, and a poem, entitled ** Hokb,*' consisting of 354 Spen-
seriaa atanaas. He was, in particuhur, greatly attached to painting, and
exhausted much of his time and money upon that art. Dr Watt, on the
other hand, was chiefly attached to that departawnt of human uiquiry which
comes under the daneminatioB of experimental philosophy — particularly
chemistry, to which sdence he, for a considerable time, devoted his leisure
hours almost elchasively. Yet, with these diflerenoes of pursuits, they lived in
good harmony during a partnership of nearly ten yean, each following his
owa course, and both holding the most respectable aUtion of theur profession
in the place where they resided.

The penod of Dr Watt^ residenee in Paialey, y\9M perhaps the busiest in hts
life. He enjoyed, during it, a better state of health than he ever did after-
wards ; and had, besides, all the ardour and enterprise of one newly entered
into a sphere for which he liad long panted. The number and variety of manu-
scripts which he has left, soAciently attest the peisetering activity of his mind
during this period. The aseet important, perhaps, of these is one in quarto,
entitled ** An Abstract of Philosophical Conjectures; or an Attempt to Explain
the Principal Phenemeiia of Light, Heat, and Cold, by a few simple and ob-
vious Laws.*' This volame eontidaa acme eariow and interettibg experimeatsi
but, of eounc^ since the date of its eompoaittoii (1805) many new lights have
been thrown on the subjects it embraces^ whiob, ia a great mumre, dimimsh its
importanoe, and render its pablleation naadvisable. The only work which be
ventored to publish while at Paisley, amid the many he composed and ooateo-
plated, was one, entitled ** Cases of Diabetes, Coosumption, &c.; with Observations
on the History and Treatment of Disease in general." This appeared in 1803,
and ezdted considerable interest at the time among the learned of the profession.
The method which the author adopted m treating Diabete% was Teneseotion«
blistering, and an abstemious diet; and the varioos cases which he reoordafy were
considered at the time as tending to establish the propriefy of this mode of treat-
ment. At the end of the volume observations are ^ven upon different diseases^
as asthmsy English cholera* colic, &c| and these are also illustrated by cases
which came under his own observntion. *

Soon after the publication of this volume^ he felt a desire to remove to an-
other quarter, and conunence for himself on a higher scale than he had hitherto
done. There was no place, however, which he had particularly fixed upon ;
and, before coming to any dedsioa on this pointy he determined to make a

438 ROBEET WATT, M.D.

tour IhrougU Englatid, with the view of {itG«nainitig wbeiUer Ibut country might
ncil flftV>rd an eligible >pot. The jnurney wouJii, at iho same time, be farour*
able to bii Walib, whicb uas beginning to be impaired. In I SOU, liavltig fur-
nished hliiiielf with letlon of recoinmondaiioii to many eminent in hii ^roftmQn
thrcMjgbnul England, he newt to London, by a clrcuitoui route, embracing, ou
bifl wny, tnott of the prlnclpa] tovvni in the country. It d«ei not appear^ bow-
eter^ liiat he found any •Uuation there ngreeable to iiii wiihes ; for on hit re-
turn home, after an nbienoe of &£^eml monlhi, he determined on lettHog at
CiUigow •: and, acrxirdingLy, in LdLO, aa iood aa niatien could properJy be ar-
ranged, he removed to that city>

TreTiouily to tliij, lie had received frem the uniferiity of Aberdeen the title of
doctor in >led seine, and had been elei!ied member of the Faculty of Physicians
and Surgeoni of Ul^igow. He had alio become pretty nell kuown in the
neighbourhood Ai an eminent practitioner, and bad ercry reason to calculate
upon luccew, whatever rank of hji profession he ihould jiMume. He, there-
fore, connnenced upon the higlieit scale, took a large house in Queen Street,
and confined hti profeision to ttmt of physician and accoucheur. In the SDme
winter, he began hit lectures on the theory nod practice of medicine ; and
tbui at once placed bimielf in tliat station of Hfe for \\hich he was to eminently
quail lied.

Jiii succeta in GJasgow was complete and immediate. Ai a physician, he
fuddetiEy acquired rt moit respectable and exteniive practice; and as a Jeciurer,
his popularity was equally gratify ing* The continental war, wbidi waa then
i-aging^ occasioned a great demand for sui^eoni, and increated the number of
■tudenla much abore the ordinary average. Dr Wati'e lecture^ room nas
mtmeronsly attended ; and be ipared no pains or expense tbat might oondirce
to I be advautnge of hit pupils. His lecLurea were formed on tlie heit models »
and from the moit ex tens ire sources, and hit manner of delivering Ihcm una
easy and engaging. During the iir*t course, he read them from his MSS. ; but
he after^rardt abandoned Ihfit method for extempomneous delivery, assisting his
memory merely by brief memorandyms of the chief bead* of diicourte* He
uied lo sny, that this method^ by keeping hi« nilud in a sLite of acllriiy,
faLigued him leM than the dull rehearsal of what lay before hint. With a view
to the adrantige of hb students, he formed a library of medical books, \^hich
was rery complete and valuable, containing, besides all the popular ivot-ks on
medicine, many scarce and high*priced volumes. Of this library ho published
a caialogue, in IB12 ; to which he nppended, *' An Address to Medical Stu-
dents on the best Method of prosecuting their Studies."

The " Bibliotheca Britannica " may be eaid to have originated with the for-
mation of this library. Besides the catalog^ue of it, which wa» printed in tho
usual form, having the works arranged under their wipective authors tn alpha-
betical order, he drew out an index of the rarious MubjecU which the volumes
embraced, making references to the place wbicli each held upon the shelf f and
Ihui broiight before his eye, at one view, all the books in his poaessien tJia|t
treated on any particular point. The utility of this index to himself and hi*^
students^ soon turned his mind to the consideration of one upon a more com- A,
prehensive icjile, that would embrace all tlie medical works which hiid been ' ^^
printed in the Ilritisb dominioni, Thi^he immediotely set about drawing out,
and devoted much of his time to it. After he had nearly completed his object,
he extended ibe original plan by introducing works on law, and latterly works
on divinity and miscellaneous subjectt. This more than tripled bis labours ;
bnt it proportionably made them more useful. The extent oi' the design, how-
ever, was not yei completed, llliherto, all foieign publications had been ex-

ROBERT WATT, M.D.- 437

eluded from it ; and, although a prospectus of tlie work had been published,
containing very copious explanations and specimens, which might be supposed
to haye determined its nature and bounds, he resolved — when it was on the ere
of going to press — to make the work still further useful, by introducing the more
popular and important of foreign authors and their productions ; embracing, at
the same time, the various continental editions of the classics. Thus was an-
other mighty addition made to the original plan ; and it is thus that many of
the most splendid monuments of human intellect «nd industry originate in
trifling or small beginnings.

In 1813, he published a '' Treatise on the History, Nature, and Treatment
of Chiucough." He was led to investigate particularly this disease, by a severe
visitation of it in his own fiimily, in which four of his children were affected at
the same time, the two eldest of whom died. The treatise contains not only
the author's own observation and experience, but also that of the best medical
writers on the subject. To the volume is subjoined, ** An Inquiry into the
Relative Mortality of the principal Diseases of Children, and the Numbers who
have died under Ten Years of Age, in Glasgow, during the last Thirty Years."
In this Inquiry, the author was at infinite pains in comparing and digesting the
registers of the various burying-grounds in the city and suburbs ; and of these
he gives numerous tables, so arranged, as to enable the reader to draw some
very important conclusions regarding the diseases of children, and their respec-
tive mortalities.

In 1814, he issued, anonymously, a small volume, entitled '' Rules of Life,
with Reflections on the Manners and Dispositions of Mankind." The volume
was published by Constable of Edinburgh, and consisted of a great number of
apophthegms and short sentences, many of them original, and the others selected
from the best English ivritem

About this time, his health began rapidly to decline. From his youth he
had been troubled with a stomachic disorder, which attacked him at times very
severely, and kept him always under great restrictions in his diet and general
regimen. The disease had gained ground with time, and perhaps was accele-
rated by the laborious life which he led. He, nevertheless, continued to
struggle against it, maintained his usual good spirits, and went through the
various arduous duties of his profession. His duties, indeed, had increased
upon him. He had become a member of various literary and medical societies,
of several of which he was president, and had been elected physician to the
Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and president of the Faculty of Physicians and
Surgeons. These two latter situations involved a great deal of trouble and at-
tention. He held them both for two successive years ; the former he was
obliged to resign, on account of the state of his health, just at the period
when a handsome compensation would have followed his holding it ; the latter
was resigned at the expiry of the usual term of its continuance.

Although he had long laboured under that painful disease which we have
spoken of, and of which he eventually died, it was not until the year 1817,
that he totally discontinued his professional punuits. Nor would, perhaps, his
active spirit have so soon submitted to tlib resignation, had not another employ-
ment engaged his attention. He had, by this time, brought his great work,
the *' Bibliotheca Britannica," to a very considerable state of forwardness; had
become interested in it, and anxious for its completion. He probably saw
that, from the state of his health, the duration of his life must be but limited,
and was desirous, while yet some strength and vigour remained, to place the
work in such a slate, that even his death would not prevent its publication.
He retired, therefore, with his family, to a small country-house about two mile?

438

ROBBRT WATT, K.D.

fiom Ql^MgoWf •Dgag«d MTenl young man ai nman»an»eB,« and devotod himself
•xduuvtly io iIm oompilatioo.

In thU literary ledluioiiy Dr Watt vru for some time able to make great pro-
gr«H io hia undertalripg ; but, though fineed from worldly interruptiona, he liad
to combat with a diieaie which waa eTory day becoming more formidable, and
which at laat obliged him to discontinue all panonal labour. He still, how-
erar, contiiMied to arenee and direct bia amannenies ; and nothing could ex-
ceed the kind attention whiah be paid to their comforts, eren when suffering
under hia fatal malady. In liis own retirement, he practised every metliod
which his knowledge or ezpariaaoe could auggeat to atom the progress of the
diaeaae, but they were all uBavailing. In the hope that trarel and a sea
Tayage aright benefit him, ha want in ana of the Leith amacka to London, made
a eonidarabla tour through England, and returned more exhausted and ema-
ciated than befow. Fram that period, until his death, he was scarcely out of
bed, but underwent, with wonderful fortitude, an afflicting and unintomipted
illaesa of aereral months* Ud died upon the ISth of JVIarcb, 1819, aged only
forty-^TO, and waa intarrad iu the Glasgow High Church burying ground.

Dr Watt*a panonal appaaninra waa prepoaieasing. He waa tall in stature,
and in aarly life, baibn hia health declined, robust Hia countenance displayed
great intelliganoa* In priTaCe life, he waa univenally eateemed. Hia character
waa formed on the strictest principles of morality, with which \nia blended a gene-
ral urbanity of manners, that won at once the good- will of whocTer he addressed.
Hts ooayeiaation waa communicative and engaging, apart equally from dulnesa
and tediouaoess, aa fipom what ii quite aa iutoleiable, a continued atudy at effect.
In hia habita, ha waa exiraaMly regular and persevering. There waa nothing
from which ha shrunk, if usefulness recommended it, and exertion made it at-
tainable. This is particularly exemplified in his undertaking and executing
such a work as the " Bibliotheca Britannica,'* the bare conception of which
would, to an ordinary or less active nundy have been appalling ; but which, be-
set as ha waa by profeasional duties and a daily increasing malady, he under-
took and acoompliahed. But laborioua as the work ia — beyond even what the
most intelligent reader can imagine — it is not alone to industry and perse-
veianea that Dr Watt haa a claim upon our aoticeb He waa ingeuioua and
original-minded in all hia schemes ; and while his great ambition waa that his
labouTi might be useful, he was careful that tbay should not interfere with those
of others. Hia vaiioua works, both publiahed and unpublished, bear this dis-
tinction. The whole plan of the ** Biblratheca*' is new; and few compilations,
of similar magnitude and variety, ever preaented, in a first edition, a more oora-
plete design and execution. It is divided into two parts ; the first part con-
taining an alphabetical list of atdhors^ to the amount of above forty thousand,
and under each a chronological list of his works, their various editiona, aiaea,
price, &c., and alao of the papers be may have contributed to the more cele-
brated journals of art and science. This division differs little in its oonatruc-
tion from that of a oommon catalogue, only that it is universal in its diaracter,
and in many instancea gives short biographical notices of the author, and criti-
cal opiniona of hia works. It alao gives most ample lista of the varioua editions
of the Greek and Bomon classics, &c., and, under the names of the early printers,
lisU of the various books which they printed. In the second part, all tlie titles
of vocka lecorded in the first part, and also anonymoua works, are arranged
alphabetically under their principal subjecU, Thla part forms a minute index

• Among those so eogaaed waro the late Mr William Motherwell, who astinguished
himself by hia beautiful ballads; and tho late Mr Alexander Whitelaw, editor of <*Tbe
Cotquet," ** Repnblio of LcUcra." &o.

IU^=.

BR. ALEXANDER WAUGH. 439

to ibt finty and upon it the chief cUim of th« <« BibHotlieGa ** to nofelty and
valua nets ; for it lays Im£mw (ba nader at a gfasco, a chronological lUt of all
the works thai haro been pa M is h a d on any particalar subject that ha may wish
to oonaalt, with relsraocea to thesr nspeetive authois, or with the publishar's
naoM, if anoBymous. While, in short, the first part ferms a full and compre-
hensive catalogue of authors and their worki^ the seeond forms an e^uaUy com*
plete and extensiye encyclopedia of all manner of subjects on which books
have been written The utility of each a work, to tihe student and author in
particular, must be obvious ; fsr, with the facility with which he can ascertain
an a dictionary the meaaiof of a word, can he here asoertain all thai has been
written on any bunch of human knowledge^ Whatever amy be its onistions
and inaecuradesy (and theie were unavoidable in a compilation so estensive,)
the pkm of the work, we apprehend, cannot* be knproved ; and, amid the
numerous and laborious methods that have been o^red to the pitbiic, for ar-
ranging libraries and catalogues, we are ignesant of any system that oeold be
adopted, with greater advantage, both as to oonveniency and eompletenem of
reference, without at the aame time aHeetiag the elegant disposal of the books
upon the shelvee, than the ana upon whidb the ** fiiUietheca Brilanniea" is
founded.

I^ Watt nuurried, while in Paisley, Misa Buns, the daoghter of a farmer in
his father's neighbourhood, by whom ha had mne ehildien. At his death, the
publication of the '' Bibliotheca " devolved upon his tw# eldest sons, who de-
voted tbemidrves to its completion with filial enthasJasm. They were both
young men of the most pvomisiBg abilitiea ; and it is to be feared that their
lives wese ahortened by the assiduity with adiich they applied themselves to the
impeelai^ dauge that waa so prenmtuiely laid upon them. John, the ^er of
the two,, died in 1831, at the early age of twenty ; James, his brother, lived to
see the work completed, but died in 1 829, leaving behind him the deep re-
grets of all who knew and could appreciate his high character and brilliant

The prhiliiv oC the '< BibHotfaeca^ was compieied in 1834, in four large
^pmrto voluBsea^ The first dUvsion or pertien ef it waa printed in Glasgow,
and the secoaid in Edhiburglu Memrs Archibald Constable and Company,
of Edinburgh, pnsehosed the whole for about £9,000, giving hills to that
amount, bat belere any ef the biys wees honoured, the bouse failed, and thus
the family of E>r Watt was p ra i ent e d firom seoeiviag any benefit from a work
to which so. many saerificea had been mda^ and upoK which all their hopes
depended.^

WAUGH, (Pa) AawTAWt, an amincnl divin* ef the United Secession
church, waa hem en the 16th Augast, 17M, at Eart Getdon, in the parish
of GotdoD, Berwidnhlaa, wheie his fiither foUewed the occupation of a

Tha subject of this menmir, who waa devoted by ^ his parents from his
infancy to the cbnvdi, was put to the pariah school of Gesdon, at which he

' In amaexion with the miafortunes attendant upon the work, we SMy mention ber», in
n note, one, fortunately In this country, of singular occurrence. Not long after Dr Watt's
death, hie oomitry-bouse was bfoken into, In the middiB of the nigh^ by a band of ruffians,
diwuised with blackened faces, and armed with guns, swowh, In. While one party held
their fire-arms over the unhappy inmatee^ another ranneked the house, and packed up
everything valuable of a portable nature, which they carried oiT, and which weie never re-

a Year's labour to remedy t

taUiea, and exaeoted Ibr the crime at Glasgow, in 1^90.

440

DR. ALEXANDER WAUGH.

remained till he had attained hit twelfth year, when he wu remoTed to that of
the neighbouring parish of Earlaton, where the schoolmatter was celebrated as a
teacher of Latin and Greek. Here he remained till 1770, when he entered
the university of Edinburgh, leaving behind him at Earliton a reputation for
talents and piety which, young as he then was, made a deep impression on all
who knew him, and led them to anticipate for him the celebrity he afterwards
attained as a preacher.

Mr Waugh continued at the unirenity throughout four sessions prior to his
entering on his theological studies, during which he attended the Latin, Greek,
and Natural and Moral philosophy classes. He subsequently studied and ac-
quired a competent knowledge of Hebrew. At the end of this period, he
was examined by the presbytery regarding his proficiency in philosophy and
the learned languages, and, hjiring been found qualified, ivas admitted to the
study of divinity, which he commenced in August, 1774, under the tuition of
the Rev. John Brown of Haddington. Three years afterwards, he repured
to the university of Aberdeen, and attended for one session the lectures of
Dr Beattie, professor of moral philosophy, and of Dr GampbeU, professor of
divinity in the Marischal college. In the following year, having been found
amply qualified by prior attainments, he received his degree of M. A* On the
completion of his studies, Mr Waugh was licensed to preach the gospel by
the presbytery of Edinburgh at Dunse, June 38, 1779, and In two months
afterwards was appointed by the presbytery to supply the Secession congregn-
tion of Wells-street, London, left vacant by the death of the Rev. Archibald
HalL On this occasion he remained in London for about ten weeks, when he
returned to Scotland, and soon after received a unanimous call from the con-
gregation of Newton, which was sustained by the presbytery at their meeting
Off December SI, 1779, and on the 30th of August, 1780, be was formally in-
ducted to this charge.

The efiects of the favourable impression, however, which he had made upon
his hearers in London reached him, even in the retired and obscure situation
in which he was now placed. A call to him from the Wells-street congrega-
tion was brought before the Synod which met at Edinbui^h in May, 17 8 1, but
he was continued in Newton by a large majority. He himself had declined this
call previously to its being brought before the Synod, and that for reasons which
strikingly exhibit the benevolence of his disposition and Uie uprightness of his
character. Amongst these were the unsettled slate of his congregation, which
was yet but In its infancy, the strong attachment which they had manifested to
him, and the struggles which tliey had made for the settlement of a minister
among them. But so desirous were the Wells*street congregation to secure
his services, that, undeterred by the result of their first application, they for-
warded another call to him, which was brought before the Synod on the S7th
November, 17 81, when It was again decided that he should continue at Newton
The second call, however, was followed by a third from the same congregation,
and on this occasion the call was sustained by the presbytery on the 19 th
Mardi, 1783. Mr Waugh received at the same time a call from the Bristo-
street congregation of Edinburgh, but, owing to some informality, it did not
come into direct competition with the former, and therefore was not discussed.

The presbytery of Edinburgh having been appointed to admit him to his new
charge, this ceremony took place at Dalkeith on the SOth May, 1783 ; and
in June following he set out for London, where he arrived on the 14th of that
month, and immediately commenced his ministry in the Secession church, Wells-
street. He soon extended the reputation, which he had already acquired,
amongst the body of Christians in London to which he belonged, and became

BR. ALEXANDER WAT76H.

441

exceedingly popular, at once by hit singularly amiable character^ hit unwearied
activity and unremitting zeal in the diachai^e of hii ministerial duties, and by
his fervid and impressive eloquence in the pulpit. He also took an active part
in promoting the interests of the London Missionary and Bible societies ; and
even extended his benevolent exertions to many other religious and charitable
institutions in the metropolis.

In 1815, he received the degree of doctor of Divinity from the Marischal
college of Aberdeen, and was much gratified by this mark of distinction from
that learned body, which he did not deem the less flattering, that, although he
had studied there in his youth, he wns, when it was conferred, almost an entire
stranger, personally, to all of them. Previously to this, Dr Waugh had been
seized with a serious illneu, which had compelled him to revisit his native
country, witli the view of benefiting by the change of air. From this illness,
he finally recovered ; but, in May, 1823, he received an injury by the fall of
some scaffolding, at the bying the foundation stone of the Orphan asylum at
Clapton, from the eflects of which he never entirely recovered. He, however,
.continued to preach with unremitting zeal, till the beginning of 1827, when
increasing infirmities, particularly an inability to make himself audible in the
pulpit, rendered it necessary to procure an assistant to aid him in his labours,
as well on his own account, as on account of the spiritual interests of his con-
gregation. In this year, therefore, he was relieved from a large portion of the
laborious duties which had before devolved upon him. But this excellent man
was not destined long to enjoy the ease which his affectionate congregation
had kindly secured for him. In the last week of November, he caught a severe
cold, which finaUy terminated his useful and active life, on the 1 4th of Decem-
ber^ 1827, in the seventy-fourth year of liis age, and the forty-fifih of his
ministry in London.

The remains of Dr Waugh were attended to the grave by an immense con-
course of people, drawn together on that melancholy occasion, by the celebrity
and popularity of his character ; and his congregation, as a testimony of their
affection for his memory, erected an elegant tablet of marble, with a suitable
inscription, in their chapel in Wells-street. They also claimed it as a privilege
to defray the funeral expenses. But they did much more tlian all this : they
secured an annuity for his widow, and expressed their sympathy in her bereave-
ment, by many other acts of generosity and kindness.

Dr Waugh, in all the relations of life, was, perhaps, one of the most amiable
men that ever existed. His character was pure and spotless ; his benevolence
unbounded ; his philanthropy unqualified. His manners were mild, gentle,
and highly prepossessing, and his piety sincere and ardent, and wholly without
any portion of that gloominess which has been erroneously believed to belong
to heart-felt religious feeling. So far from this, he was lively, cheerful, and
humorous, and delighted in innocent mirth and raillery. To Uiose of his coun-
trymen, who came to London, his house and table were ever open ; and his
advice, counsel, and assistance ifi furthering their views, always at their service.
His kindness in this way, indeed, he carried to an almost blameable extent.
• His talents, too, generally^ and particularly as a preacher of the gospel, were
of a very high order ; and of this the London Miuionary society, in common
with others, was so sensible, that he was employed in frequent missions by that
body, and always with eminent success. His whole life in London vsna one of
continued and unremitting activity. He laboured early and late in the dis-
charge of the important duties intrusted to him, and willingly undertook, at all
times, in addition to these, any others which had from their nature a claim upon
his exertions.

IV. SK

443 DR. AIJSXA]n>ER lYEBSTEK.

WEBSTER, (Db) ALBZAmnB, an eminent divine and BtatiBUoal Inqnirer, was
born in Edinburgh about the year 1707« being the ion of a dergyman of the
flHne Banie« irho» after iofPering penecution under the reigna of the latter
Stnarti, had become mioiater of the Tolbooth pariah in that city, in which
dharge he acquired considerable celebrity ai a preacher of d&e orthodox lohool.
The lubject of thia memoir studied for the church, and, after being duly
lieensed, was ordained minister of Colross, where he soon became noted for
bis eloyience in the pulpit, and the laborious seal mth whidi he discharged
every diuty of his eAoe. The congregation of Ae Tolbooth church, who had
lest his fiUber in the year 17S0, formed the wish to have the son set over them,
and accordingly, in 1737, he reoeired an unanimous call from them, and thua
was restorsd to die society of Iris natire dty. Preriously to this event, he had
obtained tlie aflbctions of Miss Blary Erddne, a young lady of fortune, and
nearly related to tlie fhmily of Dundooald. He had been employed to bespeak
the favour of Miss Eitkine for a friend, and lor this purpose paid frequent
visits to VaUeyfield, a house within the parish of Gulross, where she resided.
The suit of hit friend he is said to have urged ivith equal eloquence and sincerity,
but, whether his own figure and aooompliihments, which were highly elegant,
bad prepesseased the young lady, or she despised a suitor who could not make love
on bis own account, his eflTotts were attended with no success. At length Miss
Bnkine naively remarked to him that, had he spoken as well for himself, he
might have tucoeeded better. The hint was too obvious to be overlooked, and
its preniae too agreeable to be neglected. Webster spoke for hinuelf, and was
readily accepted. They were married a few days after his accession to the
pulpit of the Tolbooth church. Though the reverend gentleman was thus
prompted by the lady, it does not appear that he was in the least degree
deficient in that aflTecUon which ought always to be the motive of the nuptial
connexion. On the contrary, he seems, from some verses composed by himself
open the oocHiony to have been one of the most ardent of lovers, and also one
of the most eloquent of amatory poets; witneu the foUoiving admirable
stama:.^

When I see thee, I love thee, but hearii« adate,
I wender, and tiunk you a weaua as more ;
TIU, mad with admiring, I cannot oontaiii.
And, liisiiiy those lip8» find yen woman agaiii.^

With (he fire of a profiue poet, and the manners and aooomplisluttents of a
man of the world, Webster possessed the unction and fervour of a purely evan-
gelical divine. The awakenings which occurred at Cambuslang, ui consequence
of the preaching of Whitefield, he attributed in a pamphlet, to the d'urect in-
fluence of the Holy Spirit; while the Secedeis imputed the whole to sorcery
and the direct influence of the devil. In the pulpit, both hia matter and his
manner gave the highest satisfaction. His voice vnm harmonious, his
figure noble; the dignity of his look, the rapture of his eye, conveyed
an electric impression of the fervent devotion which engrossed his souL
In. prayer and in sacramental addresses, his manner was particularly noble and
august The diction of his sermons was strong and animated, rather than
polished, and somewhat lowered to the capacity of his hearers, to whose
situation in life he was always attentive. To the best qualities of a clergyman,
he added an ardent, but enlightened seal for the external interests of the
church, a jealousy of corruption, a hatred of fiilse politics and tyrannical

1 Web8ter*s Lines, Scottish Soiia ii. 337. This fine lyric seems to have been fint pa1>-
liatied in the Soots Mogaslne, 1747.

BR. ALEZANDBB WEBSTER. 4^

meanires, whidi sometimes exposed htm to calumny irom Ihe guilty, iMit
secured bim unbounded esteem from all wbo could Taloe independeiioe
of soul and integfrity of heart. Hb sentiments respecting the aflEhirs «oC
both church and stato were those of what may now be called an old wfiig ; he
stood upon the BoTolution establishment, alike anxious to realise the advantages
of that transaction, and to present further and needless or daogevous changes.
** Nature," says an anonymoos biographer, ** had endowed him with strong
faculties, which a rery considerable sharo of learning had matured and im*
prored. For extent of comprehension, depth of thinking, and accuracy in the
profoundest researches, he stood unrivalled. In the knowledge of tiw world,
and of human nature, he was a master. It is not wonderful that the best
societies in the kingdom were perpetually anxious to possess a man, who knew
how to soAen the rancour of public the^ogical contest with the liberality and
manners of a gentleman. His address was engaging; bis wit strong as
his mind ; his conTiTial powers, as they are called, enchaniiag. He had a
constitutional strength against intoxication, which made it dangerous in most
men to attempt bringing him to such a state : often, when they were unfit for
sitting at table, he remained clear, regular, and unaflected.^

Among the gifts of Dr Webster, was an extraordinary power of arithmetical
calculation. This he began soon after his settlement in Edtnbnrgh, to turn to
account, in the fonnatien, in company with Dr Robert Walhee, of the scheme
for annuities to the widows of the Scottish cleigy.* From an aeewrale list of
the ministers of the church, and the members of the three southern universities,
compared with the ordinary ratio of births, marriages, and deaths, in this and
other kingdoms, he was enabled to fix on a series of rates to be paid annually
by the membefs of these two departments^ the amomrt of which rates was to
supply a spectic annuity to every widow, whose husband should be a
oontributor, and a proportiemd sum for the children of the same. To forward
this scheme, he opened a correspondence with the diflbrent pvesbyteriea in the
kingdom ; and, in the yemr 1743, received for it the sanction of the Gveneral
Assembly of the church, which, after suitable examination, approved of the
whole plan, with the exception of a lew immaterial particulars. Aceord-
^"g^7y ^ several presbyteries and miiversities concurred with the Assembly, in
petitioning parliament ler an act, enabling tiMm to raise and establish a fund,
and obliging the ministers of the diurdi, with the heads, principals, and mas*
ters of St Andrew^ Glasgow, and fidinbuigh, to pay annually, ea^ according
to his option, one of the following rates, viz., either £8. ISs. 6d. £3. ISil 9d.
£5, 5s., or ^6. 1 1 si 3d., to be repaid in proportional annuities of £ 1 0, jC 1 5, £iiO,
or £iS, to their widows, or in similar provisions of Jt 1 00, iPI 50, J^SM, or jtftSO,
to their children. The act was obtained in terms o€ the petition, (17 Geo. II.,)
with liberty to employ the surplus of the annual payments and expenses
in loans fi. £S0 a-pieee amesig the contributors, and to pot out the re-
mainder at interest, on proper security. A second act, amending the former,
was procured in the SSnd year of the same reign, (1748.) legulattng the
several parts of the management, and granting liberty to raise tlie capital to
je80,000, including the sums lent to eootributors.' The eonuneneement of
the fund is reckoned from the 85th of March, 1744, the whole trouble
of planning, amnging, and coHeoting the rerenues, and applying them
to their immediate purposes, devolving on the original proposer, who, with a

> The ensnmg asoount of Che CLexgyH Widows^ Sohcme h laken from a iMmoir of l>r
Webster, Sn the Scots Magaaine for 1603. Some fui ther fwrLlcukirs are given ia ihe lurtide
Dr Robert Wallacil

'^ By this act, (he university of Aberdeen was included on request.

444 DR, ALEXANDER WEBSTEH.

patience and p^tWTerano* nearly equil to Ihe extreme aocuratry of hb calcula-
tion i, at Jnst completed the ichemie. In the year 1770, n neur act of parlia^
rM?nt^ procured by edvkie of L>r Webiter, prescribed Lhe fuU fona in uhicJi the
fund ii At preient c^indticted. The lonni grnnied to contriUutow uere di*coij-
tinned^ SLA prejudicbl to the partici concerned ; liberty wvtn granted to exiend
lUe capital to X 100,000 ; the method t of recofermg payments; the nominatioii
and dutie* of Iriuteei ; the laLitie* of the collector and clerk \ in ihort, the
uhole economy of the instUution, ^vere 3xed and determined, A tax on
tUe nmrriage of each contributor, amounting to on© year'* annual rate of hit
pa macular option; .ind, if he xvere forty yean of age at hii acoenion to
hi* benefice, and had children, ihe sum of two years and a half of hii rate, be-
iidei hii ordinary dues and marriage, were added lo die reTenue^ Further, a
sum of half hit usual rate was declared due to ihe fund, out of the ana.;
or, in oise of iu not falling, out of his real or personal estate, on Uie
dt;ath of A minUter ; and patrons iverd fisseftfed in the lUin of £3^ 2s. for
every half yearV vacancy.

A report of the state of the fund w^ ordered to be made annually to
Ihe Genernl Aiiembly by the trustees, and this after vrards to be printed.
Ur Webster, in the year 174S, had finished a series of calculations, in which
he not only ascertained the probable number of miniaten Uial would die an-
nually, of ividous and children that would be left, of nnnuilanU drawing uhole
or half anoukies, and the medium of the anmiities, and annual ratei, but also
the different annual states of the fund, in its progren lo completing the capital
stock. These calculations hare npproacbed the fact nitli Eutonisliing precision.
It would exceed our IimiLs to insert the comparison between the calculations
and the facu stated in the imports for the years llG2t L7G5, and 1779, and
printed ag^ain in those for 170Q, &c ; but vie shall only mention^ that in Ihe
•econd of these statements, iho comparison ran as follows : thirty ministers were
calculated to die annually; itide for tnenty-one years, from 1744 to 1765, tJve
number by calculation is G3(); the fA43t was Gtfi, being only 15 of total dil-
ferenue. Twenty wtdonm were calculated to be left annually in the foremen-
tinned period ; there nere left 411: the calculation was 4^0, and Ihe difference
9, It woM calculated, that six families of children, witlioul a widow, would ba
leH annually ; the calculated amount for the above period, was IM, the fact 1 ^4,
the djlTerenf^ 2, Fn^ir mlnlilera or professor* were calculated to die annuallvi
without either wtdoAvs or children; the calculated number for tl\e first twenty-
one years \\m 94, the fact uiLi 83. The differences for that period, betneeu
the calculated modiums of Ihe wliote number of annuities, and of annual rate^,
com pared each with its respective fact, was, for the number of annuities, Ii,
2d. 6.1SlIu, and for the rates 3s, Od. G-13tliiw On the agnd of NoTembL^r^
1709, in the fifiy-sUth year of the fund, and the year whicli oom^leted ihu
capital stock fixed by act of parliament, L>r Websier*s calculations, ^ftet having
approached the truth for a long scries of years luth surprising accuracy, stood
in the fonoiviitg manner r the stock and surplus for that year were ^^105,504,
Si. lid. 3-12tHand the cahuilated stock was £86,U8, 12s. IQd S-t2lhs;
coniei|uently the difference was i; 10,055, lOn Od, 7-1 ^Ihs.

In the year 1745, when the Highland anny under prince Charles Stuart,
took possession of Edinburgh, Dr Webster ma a i Tested the sincerity and firm-
ness of hii principles, as well as his general vigour of dmracter, by remaining
in the city, and exerting his eloquence lo iuppoi-t the people in their attach-
ment lo llie house of Hanover. On the day afterwards appointed by the
General Assembly for a thanksgiving for the victory of CuUoden, (June 23,
174G,] he preached a sermon, afterwards printed, in which he made a masterly

DTt. ALEXANDER WEBSTEIt 445

exposure of the new-born affection then manifested by the Tory pnrty for the
existing dynasty. This composition, howerer, is degraded by a panegyric on
the infamous Gumberlandy and a number of other allusions to secular persons
and affairs, more consistent perhaps with the manners of the times, than with
the immutable principles of taste in pulpit oratory. It has only the negative
merit of being less fulsome in its respect for the hero of the day, than a similar
composition by Dr Hugh Blair, which contained the following passage:
" When the proper season iras come for God to assert his own cause, then he
raised up an illustrious deliyerer, whom, for a blessing to his country, he had
prepared against this time of need. Hue he crowned with the graces of his
right hand ; to the conspicuous brarery of early youth, he added the conduct
and wisdom which in othen is the fruit only of long experience; and distin-
guisbed him with those qualities which render the man amiable, as well as the
Hkro great. He sent him forth to be the terror to his foes, and in the day of
death, commanded the shields of angels to be spread around him." At the
time when this and similar eulogia. were in the course of being pronounced, the
subject of them was wreaking upon a defeated party the Tengeance of a mean
and brutal mind. He whom the shields of angels had protected on a day when
superior strength rendered danger impossible, was now battening, with savage
relish, on the fruits of an easy conquest. Cottages were smoking in every
direction for a hundred miles around him, a prey to conflagration ; their
tenants, either murdered by cold steel, or starred to death ; while the dictates
of law, of humanity, of religion, were all alike unheard. Nor could these cir*
cumstanoes be unknown to the courtly preachers.

Dr Webster had now become a conspicuous public character, and the utility
of his talents and dignity of his character were universally acknowledged,
The comprehensiveness of his mind, and the accuracy of his ciUcuUiting powers,
rendered him a desirable and most useful ally in almost all kinds of schemes of
public improvement, of which, at tliat period of nascent prosperity, a great
number were set in motion. As the friend of provost Drummond, he aided much
in the plan of the new town of Edinburgh, not scrupling even to devise plans
for tliose public places of amusement which, as a minister of the church
of Scotland, he was forbidden by public opinion to enter. He was a most
zealous enoourager of the plan of civilizing and propagating religion in the
Highlands; and in 1753, published a sermon on tliat subject, entitled, *' Zeal
for the civil and religious Interests of Mankind Recommended." In the year
1755, he drew up, at the desire of lord president Dundas, for the information
and service of government, an account of the number of people in Scotland ;
being the first attempt at a census ever made in the kingdom. His researches
on this occasion were greatly facilitated by a general correspondence which he
had opened in 1743, both with the clergy and laity, for the purposes of the
Clergy's Widows' Fund, *' Dr Webster's well-known duuracter for accuracy,"
saya Sir John Sinclair, ** and the success with which his calculations have been
uniformly attended, ought to satisfy every one that the report he drew up may
be safely relied on.'* Yet, as the means employed on the occasion were only
calculated to produce an approximation to correctness, it must not be disguised
that the census of 1755, as it is sometimes called, was in no respect compara-
ble to those which actual survey has since effected.

Our limits will not allow us, nor our information suffice, to enumerate all
the charitable institutions, or projects of public welfare, temporary or lasting,
in which Dr Webster was engaged. As he lived to an advanced age, he had
the pleasure of seeing many of them arrive at their maturity of usefulness ; the
best reivard, perhaps, which merit ever enjoys. He preserved, to the latest

446

ALEXANPEB WSDDSRBUBlf.

period of hii ooQTM, that aflliTity bodi q£ mini and body, wUch dtit».
guifthed him ia the prime of life ; and, ripe like a theaf in ma^^mmn^ oh<iined
hie fie^uent vuh and pnyer^ an eacy and peaoefiil deeih, after a very ehett
indiepoeiiion, on Sunday » the S5th of Jaouary, 1784. By hii Jady, whs died
November 38, 1768, he had hx mm and a daughter: mm of the leniier,
colonel Webeter, ftli in the Ameriean centeit. The perMW of Dr Webeter wa%
as already mentioned, dignified and eommandiag. In latter life, it bfinimo
•oroewhat attenuated and bent Uia eonntenanee^ of which a good memorial,
by Darid Martin, ie in the offioe of the Mlnieten* Widowif Fund, wae ef an
elerated and itriktag cart, and highly cfaaracteriitie of hia mind. It ia related
to hia honour, that the superior income which hia wi£i^s fortune plaoed at hia
command, waa employed with unuanal bomitilnlDes in behalf of the poor, to
whom he thua pro^ himaelf a practical aa well aa theoretic friend.

WEDDERBUBN, ALBAsnma, fint earl of Rosalyn, was bom, Febniary 13,
1733, at Cheatorhall in Eart Lothian. His father waa Peter Weddca bw u,
of Cheoterfaall, Eafohre, an eimnent adrocate, who becaaM in 1765, a judge of
the court of aesaion, with the daaignation of bird Chesterfaall. The graadlkther
of the faster waa Sir Peter Wedderbum of Geaford, an eminent kwyer, and
aubseqaently a jndge, during the reign of Charies II. ; of whom Sir George
Mackensie apeaka in terma of the highert panegyric, in hia Charaden of Scot-
tish Lawyers.^ Sir Peter waa descended from an old landed fiimily in FoHar-
ahire, which had produced aeTeral learned penona of considerable eminence.

The subject of thia memoir waa bred to the proleasion in which hia father
and great-grand&ther had so highly disthiguisbed theraaeltes; and ao soon
were hia natural and acquired powm brought into exerdse, dmt he was
admitted te the bar at the unoaually eariy age of nineteen. He waa rapidly
gaining ground aa a junior counael, when an accident put a sadden atop to hia
practice in his nattre courts. He had gained tiie cauae of a client in oppoei-
tion to the celebrated Lodchart, when the defeated Teteran, unable to conceal
his chagrin, took occaaion from aomething in tiie manner of Mr Wedderbum,
to call him ''a preaumptnoua boy.** The aarcoatic sererlty of the young
bairiater^ '®ply ^^^^ upon him ao illiberal a rebuke from one oi the judgea,
that he immediately unrobed, and, bowing to the court, dedared that he would
nerer more plead where he waa subjected to insoU, but wouki seek a wider
field for his professional exertions. He accordingly remored to London, in
May, 1753, and enrolled himaelf a member of the Inner Temple. A love of
lettera \fhich distinguished him at thia early period of Iiib, plaoed him, (1754,)
in the chair at the first meeting of a literary society, of which Hume, Smith,
and other eminent men, greatly his seniois, were members. Profewional
pursuits, howerer, left htm little leisure for the exercise of his pen ; which ia
to be the more regretted, aa the few apecimens of hn compoaition wbidi hare
reached us, display a distinctnen of conception, and a uenrous precision
of language, sudi as might haTO secured the public approbation for much more
elaborate efforts. It ia related, to his honour, that he retained to the dose of
his life, amidst the dignities and cares of hia elerated station, a moat affection-
ate attachment to all the literary frienda of his youth.

Mr Wedderbum waa called to the English bar in 1757, and became a
bendier of Lincoln^s Inn in 1763. He early acquired considerable reputation

1 " Wedderbormis morum probitato indices, judices dienti coodlmbat, <Sociidiqi]e
susfitato SOS cu r ruiaii eie potnisset si fohdaset; niMl antem Hie in faete nisi qpod terum,
see in jine aid quod jostom, pathetiae^ urgebet; Cieeroois laetioni sempor hwvmbebst;
unde illi dicendi genus uniforme et flexanimum ; ex jooioribus tamen ""!*""» lUnmekMiainm
decorabat, famo^ae fogientem proseqoebatur.* •

ALXIANDEE lOlDBERBXTBN. 447

i»d pnictio0y whidi he gratly incieaied by becoming the advocRie «f lord
GKve, in whete cause he was triasBphaaUy toooeufuL He pleaded en the gieaC
Douglat CROM In 176S-9, when his aouto reesonUig, his deep reodiiigy and his
trresistible eloquence, attracted the faroerable seiice of lovd Ganden, and se-
eured him ever afler the protection and fmndrfitp <^ lords Bute and Mansfield.
If the eqmbfl of his poKticai opponents in after life are to be trusted, his en-
dee?9un at the eommenoeraent of his career to forget his Batiosml accent were
not very saccessful ; while bis friends aaserted, perhaps tnily, that he only re*
tained enough of it to give increased effect to his oratory.

Aiter baring been called to the degree of sergeant-at-kw, mth the rank of
king*s counsel, he was promoted in January 177 1, to the office of solicitor-
general, and in Jtme, 1773, to that of attorney-genenil : the duties of diese
poste he is said to have discharged with a mlMoeH and medecstion which pro-
cored him uniTersal approbation ; though his InTetonte hostiMtj to Franklia,
and the orerwhelming bitterness of his bngoage befeie the prlry council in
1774, are justly held to detract considerably Irom his merit. Mr Wedderburn
first sat in parliament for the Inverary dietriot of burghs, and in 1774, being
diosen simultaneously for Castle Rising and Oakhampton, made his election for
the latter ; in 1778, he was elected for Bi^op*s Castle. Throughout his career
in the house of commons, he was a powerful support to the ministry of lord
Kortb, not only by his eloqoenee, but by the great extent of his legal, juris-
prudential, and parliamentary knowledge. His merits as a statesman are of
course estimated very differently by contemporary party irriters. Churdiill
lias embalmed him in the well-kno^vn quatrain : —

^ Mute at the bar, and in the senate loud.

Dull 'nuHigst the dullest, proudest of the proud,

A pert, prim prater, of the northern nice,
. Guilt in, his heart, and famine in his fiioe."

Yet eren Junius lias allowed that his character was respected, and that he poe*
sessed the esteem of society. Sir Egerton Bridges lays : ** Lord Rossi yn ap-
peared to be a man of subtle and plausible, rather than solid talents. His
ambition was great, and his desire of ofilce unlimited. He could argue with
great ingenuity on either side, so Uiat it was difllcult to anticipate his future
by his past opinions. These qualities made him a Taluable partisan^ and an
useful and efficient member of any administration.* One public serrice of high
ralue is always allowed to Mr Wedderi>uni. During the celebrated metropoli-
tan riots in 1780, when the municipal power had prored so inadequate to the
occasion, and the conflagration of the whole capital seemed to be threatened,
a priry council was held by the king, who asked Mr Wedderburn for Us of-
ficial opinion. Mr Wedderburn stated in the most precise terms, that any
such assemblage of depredators might be dispersed by military force, without
waiting for forms or reading the riot act ** Is that your declaration of tlie
law as attorney-general?'^ adced the king ; Mr Wedderburn answering direct-
ly in the affirmatiTO, ** Then let it so be done,** replied his majesty; and the
attorney-general immediately drew up the order by which the rioters were in a
few hours dispersed, and the metropolis saved.

In June of the year last mentioned, Mr Wedderburn was called to the
priry council, raised to the bench as lord chief justice of the court of Common
Pleas, and to the peerage as lord Loughborough, baron of Loughborough in the
county of Leicester. He had occasion in his judicial du&racter to diarge the
jury sitting under the commission for the trial of the rioters ; and it is allowed
that the address was one of 1^ finest specimens of reasoned eloquence that liad

448 JAMES W'EDDERBUBN.

eTer been delitered in tliat aitiiation ; though some have objected that, both on
this and on other oocaiiongy hit Scottish education inclined him too mudi to^
irardt the principlei and modes of the cirii Ihw, inculcating greater htitude
than by the predsion of the English law was ^vanranted.

In April, 1783, lord Loughborough united with his friend lord North in
forming the celebrated Coalition ministry, in which he held the appointment
of first commissioner for keeping tlie great seal ; but the reflections so justly
levelled at many of the coalesced leaders did not apply to the ** ivary Wedder-
burn,*' for he had never uttered any opinion depreciatory of the talents or
character of Air Fox. From tlie breaking up of this ministry, his lordship re-
mained out of office till the alarm of the French revolution separated the
heterogeneous opposition whidi its remnants had formed for nearly ten years
ngainst Mr Pitt, under whom he accepted office, January S7, 1793, as lord
high chancellor.- He filled that important station for eight yeaiis, " not per-
haps, says Brydges, " in a manner perfectly satislactory to the suitors of hia
court, nor always with the highest degree of dignity as speaker of the upper
house, but always with that pliancy, readiness, ingenuity, and knowledge, of
which political leaders must have felt the convenience, and the public duly ap-
preciated the talent. Yet his slender and flexible eloquence," continues this
elegant writer, ** his minuter person, and the comparative feebleness of his bodily
organs, were by no means a match for the direct, sonorous, and eneigetic
oratory, the powerful voice, dignified figure, and bold manner of Thurlow ; of
whom he always seemed to stand in awe, and to whose superior judgment ho
often bowed against his will**

Lord Loughborough having been twice married without issue, and his fint
patent having been limited to heirs-male, a new patent was granted to him in
1795, by \^liich his nephew Sir James Sinclair Enkine of Alva, was entitled to
succeed him. On resigning the diancellonhip in April, 1801, his lordship
was created earl of Rosslyn, in the county of Mid Lothian, with the same re-
roainden. He now retired from public life, but continued to be a frequent
guest of his sovereign, who never ceased to regard him with the highest esteem.
During the brief interval allowed to him between the theatre of public business
and the grave, he paid a visit to Edinburgh, from which he iuid been habitual-
ly absent for nearly fifty yean. With a feeling quite natural, perhaps, but yet
hardly to be expected in one who had passed through so many of the more ele-
vated of the artificial scenes of life, he caused himself to be carried in a chair
to an obscure part of the Old Town, where he had resided during the most of
his early yean. He eipressed a particular anxiety to know if ti set of holes
in the paved court before his fiither^s house, which he had used for some youth-
ful sport, continued in existence, and, on finding them still there, it is said
tliat the aged statesman was moved almost to tears.* The earl of Rosilyn died
at Bayles in Berkshire, January 3, 1805, and was interred in St Pauls
cathedral. A portrait of his lordship, painted by Reynolds, was engraved by
BartoloBi. He wrote, In early life, critiques on Barclay's Greek grammar,
the Oedsions of the Supreme Court, and the Abridgment of the Public Statutes,
which appeared in the Edinburgh Review, 1755. In 1793, he published a
treatise on the management of prisons, and subsequently a treatise on the
English poor Uwv, addressed to a clergyman in Yorkshire.

WEDDERBURN, Jajibs, a poet of the sixteenth century, ^fas bom in Dundee

about the year 1500, and is supposed to have belonged to the fimiily which

afterwai*ds produced the earl of Rosslyn. He wrote three poems, beginning

respectively with the following lines : '' My love was fnlss and full of flatterie,**

> The house ^ims situated in Grsy^ dose, opposite to the ancient Mint.

JAMES WEDDERBURN. 419

** I think Ihir men are verie fall and Taiu/' *' O man, trangformit and un-
natural J," which are to be found with his name in the Bannatyne manuscript.
Wedderburn appears to hare early espoused the cause of the Reformation,
In two dramatic oompositionSy a tragedy on the beheading of John the Baptist,
and a comedy called " Dionysius the Tyrant,** which were represented at Dun-
dee about the year 1540, he exposed to ridicule and execration the corruptions
of the church of Rome : both compositions, howerer, are now lost It seeuis
to hare been before 1549, that he composed his celebcated ** Buike of Godlio
and Spiritual Sangt, collected out of sundrie ports of Scripture, wyth sundrie
of uther Ballates, changed out of Profane Sangs fur aroyding of Sione and Har«
lolrie/* as, though no edition of it before that of Smyth, in 1599, is in tlie
hands of modem antiquaries, it seems to be denounoed in a canon of the pro*
vincial council of the clei^ held in 1649, and for certain is alluded to in a
manuscript ** Historie of the Kirk," dated in 1 5G0. The " Buike of Godlie and
Spiritual Sangs,** though allowed to have been a most effectual instrument in
expelling the old and planting the new religion, appears to modern taste as
only a tissue of blasphemy and absurdity ; the ** sangs *' being chiefly parodiea
of the coarse and indecent ballads of the ooinmon people, retaining the general
structure and music, with much of the very language of the orJginalf, and thus
associating the most sacred and the most profane images.

That extraordinary book, the "Complaynt of Scotland,** which appeared at
St Andrews in 1548, without the name of either author or printer, Iios
been ascribed to Wedderburn in the Harleian Catalogue ; nor does it appear
that tlie daims of Mackensie for Sir James Inglis, or those of Leyden for Sir
David Lindsay, can stand for a moment against the probabilities of this sup-
position. Iiiglis, it is hardly possible to deny, was murdered in 1530, eighteen
years before the composition and publication of the Complaynt ; and so little
confidence had Leyden himself in the theory which he employed nearly three
hundred pages to support, that he candidly confesses, at the close of his ^sser*
tation, ** he scarcely expects his remarks to produce conrictton." ^

Preriously to the introduction of the version of Stemhold and Hopkins into
Scotland, in 1564, the reformed congregations sang versions of twenty-one
psalms, and paraphrases of the Lord's prayer, creed, and commandments, whidi
had been executed for that purpose by the subject of this memoir. Two verses
of his translation of the ld7th psalm may be given as a specimen of his
uuinner : —

At the rivirs of Babjlon,

Qnhair we dwelt in captivitie,

Quhen we remembeiit on Sj-oa,

We weiplt al Adl sorrowfUiliSi

On the saucfa tries odr harpes we hai^,

Qahen thay requirit us an seng.

They hald us into sic thnldome,

They bed us ring sum psalme or hymir.c,

Tliat we in Syon ssng sum tyme ;

To quhome we answerit full suno :

Nocht may we oulher pla) or sing,
• Ihe psalmis of our Lord sa s>vi-it,
Intil aiie uncouth land or ring.)
My richt luuid first sail that forlcit,
Or Jerusalem forj ettin be *,

1 Kingdom,
ir. »^

450

DAVID IVXDBEBBURN.

VmA to my cbaAis my tuiic laU ba
CUfpit, or that I H SorgH,
, la my maM gladaeBaiid my saaie,
I mU rtmember Jerumlem,
And all my hart upon it set.

Weddefburn is laid to hare tdtimatoly gone to Es^od, wliere he died in
1 564-S.

WEDDERBUBN, David, a poet of contideiable eminence, was born proba-
bly about the year 1 570. Neither the place of hit birth nor hit parentage liat
been aioertained. Of the latter all that it known it that hit mother nai burted
in St Nicholat church at Aberdeen In 1686.* It it highly probable from
^riout circumttancet tlwt Wedderbum wat educated in the dty jut named, and
tliat he ttudied either In King*8, or In the newer Inttitntiony Hariachal eoi-
lege. In 1602, a vacancy ocounred In the grammar-ecfaool of Abetdeen, by
the death of Thomat Cargill, a grammarian of great reputation, and author of a
trentiie on the Govrie oompiracy, noir apparently loat After an examination
Mliidi latted four daya and extended to *' oratorio, poetie, and compotitioua iu
proit and rerat,** Wedderbum and Mr Thomat Reid, aftervardt the trell-knoim
Latin tecretary to Jamee VI., were sppointed ^ oo-«qiiaIl and conjanct matten "
of the inttitution, with talariet of £10 yearly, and the qoarteriy feet of the
tcholnrt limited to ten ihillingt. They were inducted into this office by ** do-
llTory to tharoe of ane grammar buke.*'' Early in 1603, Wedderbom ap-
peared befon the town council, and stated, tliat being ** wgit and burdenit bo
the lait pronnciall attemblie of minittert, hauldin at thit burgfae, to accept upon
litm the function of ane minitter of Goddit word, he wet retolTit to enter in
the taid function and obey God, calling him thairto be the nud asaemblie, and to
leaTO and desert the said school!,^ and ooniduded by craving leare to demit hit
ofRoe. lliis tlie council granted, and accompanied It with a testimonial of
. his Athful discharge of his duty ; hot, from wrfaat cause is now unknown. Wed*
derbum In the same year resumed his office. Before he had retained it twelve
months, a complaint was lodged against him for making exoibitant claims on
the tcholais for feet, charity on Sundayt, " candle and best siUer.** These
exactiont were represted by the magistnttes, and in 1619, the quarterly fees
were adTanced from ten shillings to thiiieen shillings and fturpemse. Several
years before this, in 1618, his acholars distinguished themse l ve s by an act of
mutiny of the boldest nature. In conjunction with the other scholan of the
town, they took possession of the Song or Mnsic sdiool,.and fortified them-
selves within it Being armed with guns, hagbula, and pistols, tliey boldly
sallied forth as occasion required, and, attacking the houses of tlie citisens,
broke open the doom and windows, *' and maisterfiiUie away took their fouHis^,
pultrle, breid, and vivaris.* They also in tmti s pt ed die supplies of fuel and
provisions intended for the dty markets, and oontiaaed in this state of open
insurrection for two days. When they subtnitted to the authority of the magis*
trates, who puniihed the ringleadeii by imprisonment^ and banished twenty-
one of their asMciates from aU the city schools.'

In 1 G 1 4, on the death of Gilbert Gray, principal of Marischal college, Wed-
derbum was appointed to teach ** the high class** of the univenity, probably
meaning the class then usually taught by the principal. In 1617, ap-
peared the first of his publications, two poems on the king's visit to Scot-
land in that year, the one enUtled, « Syneuphranterion in feditu Regis

1 Kirk nnd Bridge Work Aoooimis of Aberdeen, 16S4-1GS5.
> Council HegWler of Aberdeen, xl. ITO, 4ia
s Council Register of Aberdoen, rlv. SSfi,

r

BAYID WIDDERBUBN.

451

in SeoUmi, 1617," and tlie <idier " Propempticon Garitatum Abredonensiunu"
Both tbeM poems (aloDg wiUi Bre othen by the author,) were reprinted in the
** Delitia Poetanim Sootoroniy** and the last of these, composed at the request
of the magistratee, procored hint a donation of fifty raerks. In 1619, he was
appointed to teach a le«on in humanity onee a- week to the students of
Maritchal coHege, from aocfa anthers as the magistnles might select, and also
to compose in Latin, both in prose and rerse, an essay on the common affairs of
the city. For thia he was to reoeire a salary of eighty merks per annum. In
1036, he wrote a poem on the death of James VI., which was printed at Aber-
deen by Edward Raban, under the title of *' Abredonia Atrata sub Obitum
Serenimimi el Potentissimi Monareba Jacob! VL, Abredonic, 1625,'* 4to, pp.
13. This waa dedicated '^ Ad Amplimiauis Curt a Abredonensis Friraatus,*' and
is BOW so rare as to be priced at two guineas. In 1630, he ooropleted
the writing of a new grammar for the use of his pupils, and receired from the
magistrates a rewmrd of J^l 00 Scots. It was found, however, that this work could
" neither be prenlit nor publisht for the use of young schollaris, whome tlie
same coneenris, UBto the tyroe the same resaiTO approbatioone frome the lordis of
eoonsall.** In eonse^enoe of this, the magistrates ** thocht meit and expede,
that the said Mr Darid address himself with the said wark to Edinburgh, in all
eonvenient diligenee, lor procuring the saidis lofdis thair approbatioun thalrto,
and ordanis the soume of ano hundretb pundia asoe to be debursit to him be ttie
toonis thesaurar for making of his expenm in the sudeward.''* It is unknown
whether Wedderburn succeeded in procuring the liioense of the pmy ooundl ;
but if published no copy of this ** gramer newly reformed" aeeins to hare
been preserred. In 1635, Weddefburn lost a friend and patron in the learned
Patridc Poibei of Corse, bishop of Aberdeen ; and among the many distin.
guished oontrtbutors to that prelate^ *' Funerals ^ we find the name of '* David
Wedderbumus Latinm Scholas in Urbe Nora Abredoniaa Prmfectus.'' In
1640, he was so borne down by bodily infirmity that he was allowed to retire
from the rectorship of the grammar- sdiool on a pension of two hundred merks
annually. The sucoseding year he was called on to mourn the death of the
celebrated Arthur Johnston, with whom he had lired in tlie closest firiendship.
One of the most beautiful of Johnston's minor poems was addressed ** Ad Dayi*
dem Wedderbumum, amicnm reterem,** and drew forth a reply from Wedder*
burn of e^al elegance. He thus speaks of their friendship :

" Noster Udts amor \ quern non (pia namina tester)
UUa prooelloso turbine Tincit hiems.
Absit! at JBncides palmam rel fidus Achates
Uane tibi preriplat, prisripfatTe mihL*

AndJohnatoa dwells with i

feeling on their early intimacj :

** ApUos at reetns, tu Wudderbume, aeiiccta

CoMolls, et, qua fort dum aenecta malia
Dum mlhl te sisto, dam, qnos timal sgim

Mente pato^ mutor, nee mihl sum qaod nam.
iEbsna carminibos mataTit Colehis et herfais^

Hae jwrenem tremulo de sene Ibeit epe.
ColcWdis ia morem, veteri lu reddas amlco^

Qui peda velod pneteriere dies.
Tempom dum ve coIo tecum simul acta juventas

Me mihi vestituens, tpa juTenta redit.
CdlcbSda tu vfnds : longo molimine Colchis

Qood semel ouni fuit, tu mihi mcpd dda.**

* Council Register, toL 52. p. 8.

453

JOHN vnsvcvL

On the daath of Uits mined friend, Weddertwrn pnbUihed six elegiei, under the
title of ** Sub obilum Tiri darwsiini et cariMimi D. Aicturi JoMtoni, Medici
Regii, Da?idit Wedderburni Suspiria^Abredoniaa, 1 64 1 ." Thia Inct hai cloce
been veprinted by Lauder in kit *' Foetarum Sootoram Mua» Saacm,^ EdinhmgU,
1731. Two yean aAer the publication of hia '<Suipiria" be publkhed, aft
Aberdeen, ** Meditationum Campettrium, ieu Epigrammatuin Moralium, Gen-
turiA duA,** and in the following year, 1644, appeared <' Centoria terlia.*«
Both these works are from the press of Edward Babon, and are of great rarity.
It it probable that tliey were the bat compoaitiona of their author which were
printed in hia lifetime, if we except aoine oommendatory vecaea to a treatiae
** De Arte conaerrando aanStaiero,*' published, at Aberdeen in 1651, Thoug^h
(he precise year of Wedderburn^s death liaa eacaped our naearcfaea, it may be
fixed within a few years from Uiis laat date. In 1664, hia brother, Alexander,
graTe to the world ** Persiua Enudeatua, aire Gommeiitartua exaetissimua et
maxima perspiouua in Peratttm^ Poetarum omnium diffidUimum, atudio Davidia
Wedderburni, Scoti Abredonenaia^-opua Poethumum; Amatelodami,^* 12mow
Deatdea the worka now enumerated, Wedderbum waa the author of a great
number of eomasendatory poema and elegiac renea. Hia learning haa been
celebrated by Vossius, who stylca him ** homo eniditiasimua bene^ue promovena
de atudtia jarentulia." Hia reputation is attested by the terms on which he
lired with many pf the moat eminent peraona of hia time. Hia intimacy wiUi
Arthur Johnatou and Uahop Patrick Forboa, haa been already mentioned ; tlie
well known aeoretary Aeid waa hia coadjutor; and he counted among hia
firienda Jameaon the painter, William Forbea, bishop of Edinburgh, Gilbertua
JacobaBua, Duncan Liddel, baron Dan, Ramaay, Roaa, end many other illus*
trioua indirlduala. His poems allow in erery line an intimate acquaintance with
the daasic writera, and are filled with happy alluaiona to ancient hiatory and
fable. Hia verses, indeed, are more to be admired for their learning than for
their feeling; lie haa nowhere aucoeeded in reaching the higheat ftighta ot
poetry, and haa frequently aunk into common-place and bathoa. But it is im-
possible to withhold admiration from tlie ease and elegance of hia Jatinity, tlie
epigrammatic vivadty of hia atyle, or the ridiea of daaskal lore with whidi he liaa
adorned hia pagea.

WELCH, Jomi, a celebrated dirine of the . seventeenth century, waa
bom about the year 1670. Hia father waa a genUeman of conaiderable note
in Nithsdale, where he possessed a pretty extenaire and valuable estate called
Collieston. The outset of Mr Welch'a career waa an extraordinary one,
and preaenta one of the most striking and singuhur oontrasta of conduct and
<lispoaition in one and the aame peraon at different perloda of life which can
perhaps be found in the annals of biogmphy.

Tliia faithful and exemplary miniater of the churdi (for he became hoth in
an eminent degree) began the world by asaodating himaelf with a band
of border thievea. While at adiool, he waa remadcable for the unateadineaa of
his habiU, and for an utter disregard for the benefits of inatiuction and for the
admonitiona of hia frienda and preceptors. He vom also in the practice of ab«
aenttng himaelf, frequently and for long periods, firom achod, a habit in wbtdi
he indulged until it finally terminated in his not only abandoning the Utter
entirely, but also his father*a hooae, and betaking himaelf to the bordera, where,
aa already noticed, he joined one of thoae numeroua bonda of freebooters witli
which thoae diatricta were then infeated. Whether, ho\^«Ter, it was that a bet-
ter spirit came over the young prodigal, or tliat he found the life of a border
marauder either not such as he had pictured it, or in itself not agreeable to
him, he soon repented of the desperate step he had taken, and reaolred on re-
turning to his father^s house.

JOHN "WRLCn. 453

In punoanoe of tlits resolution he called, on hit iray homewardty on one of
bif aunU, who lired in Dumfries, with the Tiew of making her a mediator
between himself and his offended father, an office which she undertook and ac-
complished in the course of an accidental visit which young Welch's father paid
her whilst his son was still under her roo<; The Ibrmer, however, had antici*
pated a very different issue to his son'b profligate courses, for, on a sort of trial
question being put to him by tlie young man^ aunt, previously to her producing
him, whether he had heard anything lately of John, he replied, '* The first
neifs I expect to hear of him is, that he is hanged for a thief.*' On the recon-
ciliation with his father being effected, young Welch entreated liiin, with many
protestations of future amendment, all of which he afterwards faithfully imple-
mentedy to send him to college. With this request his father complied, and
the young convert gave him no reason to repent of his indulgence. He
became a diligent student, and made such rapid progress in the learning of the
times that he obtained a ministerial settlement at Selkirk before he had
attained his twentieth year. His stay here, however, was but short, as, for some
reason or another which has not been recorded, he seems to have been an ob-
ject of dislike and jealousy both to the clergy and lay gentlemen of the district
in which he resided. It is not improbable that his former life wm recollected
to bis ditadvantage, and that this iras, at least in some measure, the cause of
the enmity with which he was persecuted. But, whatever tlie cause was, it is
certain that it is not to be found in his conduct, which was now exemplary,
both in a moral and religious point of view. The latter, indeed, \n» of an ex-
traordinary character. It was marked by an intensity and fervour, an unre-
mitting and indefatigable seal, which has been but rarely equalled in any other
person, and never surpassed. He preadied publicly once every day^ prayed,
besides, for seven or eight hours during the same period, and did not allow
even the depth of the night to pass without witnessing the ardency and en-,
thusiasm of his devotions. Every night, bef<»e going to bed, he threw a Scotch
plaid above his bed-clothes, that, when lie awoke to his midnight prayers,
it might be in readiness to wrap around his shoulders. These devotional liabits
lie commenced with his ministry at Selkirk, and continued to the end of his
life. Finding his situation a very unpleasant one, Nr Welch readily obeyed a
call which liad been made to htm from Kirkcudbright, and lost no time in re-
moving thither. On this occasion a remarkable instance occurred of that unac-
countable dislike with which he was viewed, and which neither his exemplary
piety nor upright conduct seems to have been capable of diminishing. He
could not find any one person in the whole town excepting one poor young
man of the name of- Ewart, who would lend him any assistance in transporting
his furniture to his new destination. . Slnnlly after his settlement at Kiriccud-
bright Mr Welch received a call from Ayr. This invitation he thougiit
proper also to accept, and proceeded thither in 1590.

Some of tlie details of this period of Mr Welcli's life afford a remarkably
ati iking evidence of the then rude and barbarous state of the country. On his
anrival at Ayr, %o great was the aversion of the inhabitants to the ministerial
diaracter, and to the wholesome restraints which it ought always to impose, that
he could find no one in the town who would let him have t^ house to live in,
and he was thus compelled to avail himself of the hospitality of a merchant of
the nanse of Stewart, who oflTered him the shelter of his roo£ At this period,
too, it appears that the streets of Ayr were constantly converted into scenes
of the most sanguinary combats between factious parties, and so frequent
and to sudi an extent was this murderous turbulence carried that no man could
walk through the town with safety.

464

JOHN XTEUCBL

Among tiM fint datlei which Mr W«lch Inpoted opoo hinelf tha fais
•ettleaMnt at Ayr^ wm to corr«ot this ruthlav and ferociodi ■pirity and the
method ho took to aocoaipliah hii good work was a tingular but, at It pnrred,
•Aectual oao. RafardleH of tho eontequoneM to himioir, ho rwhod in hetiteoo
tho infiiriatod ^ombatanU^ wholly unanoed, and no othorwiso protadad from
any aoeidantal tUnoko ofthair woapona than by a itaol ap whick ho preWoaily
pfaioad on hia head on Mich ooeationa, Whon he had, by this fearless and do-
temiinad prooaoding^ sueoaodod in alaying tho strifo, ho oidered a fable to bo
coTored in the iCreet, and praTailod upon the hostile parties to sit down and
oat and drink tog other, and to p r of ess themaelves friends. This esremony he
concluded wilh pcayor and a psalm. In which all joined. The novolty of this
proceeding, the intiepidity of iu originator, and abo?o all tho kind and
christian-liJco spirit which it breathed, soon had the nmst bonefeial eflbctsL
The eril which Mr Wekh thus nuned at eorrecUng gvadnally disappeersd, and
he himself waa received into high finronr by the inhabitant ef tho town,
who now began to leverenca bia piety and respect hie worth. While ki Ayr
Mr Welch not only adhered to tho avdnous cooise of devotional oserdae which
he had laid down for hinuelf at Selkirk, hot i n q r e asc d its sorerity, by adopting
a praotioa of spending whole algfats In pnytr in the church of Ayr, whidi was
situated at some distance from tte town, and to whfeh he waa ki ifco habk of
repairing alone for this pious purpoee. Among tho other objeds of pas-
toral aolicitudo which paiticularly engaged Mr Wehdi*s atlentmn dMng hfs'
iiiinlstry at Ayr, was the profanation of tho Sabbath, one ef tho amet psominoBt
sins of the place. Thk he also succeeded in remedying to a gtoat extent by a
similarly judicious conduct with that ho obeerred in the cseo of feads and
quanek Thk cmoer of nsofulnem Mr Wekh puianed wkh unwearied dili-
gence and unabated aeal till the year 1605, whon on an attempt on the part of
the king (Jamea VI.J to suppvsm General Aasamblies, and oa that of tho desgy
to maintain them, he, with eerend mere of hia brethren, wna thrawa hMo
prisoB for holding a diet, in oppesitMm to tho wishea of tho court of del^^rtes
of synods, of which Mr Wekh waa one, at Aberdeen. For thk efience they
were sumawned befoco the priry council, but, dedkui^g the jmrkdictien of that
court in their partksolar case, they were indicted to stand trod fisr high I
at Linlithgow. By a series of the aMst unjmt, illegal, and aibitaHy ]
Inp on the part of the oAcen of the crown, a vordid ef guilty waa i
against them, and they were aanleafied to anflbr tka death of tiailaii. The
conduct of the wires of tho condemned d etg yamn, and amongst thoso of Mva
Welch in partiouOar, on thk awlanckoly occasion, waa worthy of tho bri g h tes t
page in Spartan story. I'hey left their fimdlies and hastsuid to Lialkl^ww to
bo present at tho trial of thoir husbands, that they adght share la thek joy if
the reault was favourable, and that they might insphro them with oeuvago if it
were otherwise. On being informed of tho sentence ef the court, *'tkeae
heroines,'' mys Dr M'Grie, '* Instead of bmenting theb fsto, prakad God who
had giren their husbaods oeurago to stand to tho cause of thsir Maoler, adding,
that, 111(0 Him, they had been judged and condemned under tho oovort of
night." If spirit be hereditary, this magnanimous conduct, oa tho part of Mm
Welch at any ratc^may be considered acooaated for by the ciiramslewra of her
having been the daughter of John Knox. She was tho thiid daaghtor of that
celebrated penon. Either deterred by the popuhrity of tho pfkoaesa^ aad
the cause for which they euAered, or atkAed with tho power which tho aea-
tenoe of the court had given him over their penons, Jaraee, instead of brii^ng
that sentence to a fatal issue, contented himself with oommuting it into basisk-
ment; and on the 7th November, 1606, Mr Welch, accompanied by hia wi&p

JOHN WXIXIII.

455

and liis awodatei in mitfortuiMy tailed from Letth for Fnmee, after an im-
prisonment of many months* duration in the castles of Edinburgh and Black-
ness. So great waa the public sympathy for these penecuted men, that,
thoufb the hour of their embarkation vas as early as two o'clock of the
monsing, and that in the depth of wiator, they were attended by a great
number of persons who came to bid tbem.an affectionate farewell. The part-
ing of the expatriated men* and their frienda was eolemn and characterietic,
prayen were said, and a psalm, (the 23rd,) in which all wha were present
joined, was sung.

On his arriral in France, Mr Welch immediately eommeneed the study of
the language of the country, and such was his extraordinary diligence, and his
anxiety to nmke himself again useful, that he acquired, in the riiort space of
fourteen weeks, such a knowledge of French as enabled him to preach in it.
This attainment was aeon after followed by a call to the ministry from a
protestant eoogregation at Neraa Here, howcTer, he remained bat for a
short. period, being translated to St Jean D'Angely, a fortified town in Lower
Gharente, where he continued to rfside during the remainder of his slay in
France, which %vas upwards of fourteen years.

While liTing at St Jean IVAngely, Mr Weldi erinced, on an occasion whi<:h
called for it, a degi*ee of conrage in the field not less remarkable than that
which distinguished him in the pulpit. A wnr having broken out between
Louis Xllt. and his protestant subjects, the former besieged the to^rn in penon.
During the siege Mr Weldi not only exhorted Uie inhabitants to make a de-
termined and Tigoroua resistance, but took his place upon the walls of the city,
and BStistsd fin serving the guns. When the town capitulated, which it finally
did, in lenM of a treaty entered into with Uie besiegers, the French monarch
ordered tliat Mr Welch, who, with characteristic intrepidity, continued to preach,
to be brenght before hias. The messenger whom he despaboheA for this pur-
peaa was te duke D^fispenion, who entered the church in which Mr Weldi
was at the asoment preaching, with a party of soldiers to take him fi^im the
pulpit On pereeiving the dirice enter, Mr Welch called oat to him in a loud
and aalheritatiYe tone to sit down and hear the word of God. The duke instinc-
tirely er unconacioudy obeyed, and not only quielly awaited the- condasion
of the sermon, but listened to it throughout with the greatest attention, and af-
terwards dedared hiaMalf to have been nmdi edified by H. On being brought
into the presence of the king, the latter angrily demanded of Mr Welch how
he had dared to preach, since it was contrary to fhe laws of the kingdom for
audi as he to offidaCe in places where the court resided. Mr Weldi's reply
was bold and d»raeterfsti6 ** Sir,** he said, ** if your majesty knew what I
preadied, you \rould not only come and hear it yourself, but make all France
hear it ; for I preadi net as those men you used to hear. First, I preadi thnt
you nmst be saved by the metitM d Jesus Christ, and not your own, (and I am
sure your conscience tells you that your good works -will never merit heaven :}
next, I preach, that, as you are king of France, there is no man on earth
above you ; but these men whom you hear, subject you to the pone of Rome,
which I wHI never do.* This last remark was so exceedingly gratifying to the
king, that it liad the effect not only of disarming him of his wrath, but induced
him to receive the speaker instantly into his royal fhvour. '' Very well,^ re-
plied Louis, " you shall be my minister,'' and to these expremtons of good-
irlll he added an assurance of his protection, a pledge which he afterwards
amply redeemed. When St Jean D^Angely was again besieged by the French
monarch In 1691, he ordered the captain of his guard to protect the house and
property of ^ his minister,^ and afterwards supplied him with horses and wagons

450 SIR H£NRT MONCRIEFF WSLLWOOD. BART^ lU).

to tntntport hit fiunily to Rochelle, wbither he removed on the captaie of tbe
town.

Mr Welch was at thia period leieed iriih an illoea which his physiciana de-
clared could be removed only by hit returning to breathe the air of his natire '
country. Under these circumstances he rentured, in IGiU, to come to London,
hoping that when there he should be able to obtain the king'k permission lo
proceed to Scotland. This request, hofveTer, James, dreading Welch^ ii>.
fluence, absolutely refused. Among those, and they were many, who inter-
ceded with the king in behalf of the dying divine, was his wife. On
obtaining access to James, the following extraordinary, but highly characterise
tic oonrersation, as recorded by Dr M*Crie, in his Life of Knox, took place be-
tween the intrepid daughter of tlie stern reformer and the eccentric monarch
of England : liis majesty asked her, who \^im her father. She replied " Mr
Knox.*' *' Knox and Welch,** exclaimed he, " the devil never made such a
match as that.** " Its right like, sir," said she, ** for we never speired his ad«
vice.** He asked her, how many diildren her father had left, and if they were
lads or lasses. She said three, and they were all hsses. '' God be thanked!**
cried the king, lifting up both his hands, " for an they had been three lads, I
had never bruicked my three kingdoms in peace.** She again urged her re*
quest that he would give her husband his native air. ^ Give him his natire
airr* replied the king. " Give him the devil!** a morsel which James had
oAen In his mouth. ** Give that to your hungry courtiers,** said she, oflbnded
at his profaneness. He told her at last, that if she would penuade her hue-
band to submit to the bishops, he would allow him to return to Scotland. Mrs
Welch, lifting up her apron, and holding it towards the king, replied, in tlie
true spirit of her lather, ** Please your majesty, I'd rather kep his heaU
there.**

Although James would not permit Mr Welch to retmrn to Scotland, he was
prevailed upon by the friends of the latter, though not without much impor*
tunity, to allow him to preach in London. They had entreated this as an
alternative in the event of his refusing him permission to return to his native
country, and they eventually succeeded in obteining from James a reluctant
consent. On learning that this Indulgence had been gcanted him, tlie dying
preacher, for his complaint was rapidly gaining ground upon him, Iwstened to
avail himself of it He appeared once more in the pulpit, preached a long and
pathetic sermon ; but it woe his hut When he had concluded his disoourw he
returned to his lodging, and In two hours aftem-ards expired, in the 63d year
of his age. It is said that Mr Welch^ death was occasioned by an ossification
of the limbs, brought on by mudi kneeling in his frequent, and long protracted
devotional exercises. Like many of the eminently pious and well-meaning
men of the times in which he lived, Mr Welch h&id claim to the gift of pre*
science, and his Life, as it appears In the ** Scots Worthies," compiled by
Howie of Lochgoin, presents a number of instances of the successful exercise of
this gift, but no one now who has any sincere respect for the memory of such
truly worthy persons and sincere Christians aa Mr Welch, can feel mudi grati-
fied by seeing him Invested, by a mistaken veneraUon, with an attribute which
does not belong to humanity.

WELLWOOD, Sir Hmtav Mohgrievf, BAROifvr, D.D., an eminent divine,
was bom at Bladtford, near Stirling, In February, 1750. He was the eldest
son of Sir William MoncrieflT, Bart, minister of th^ parish just named ; a amn
of singular merits and virtues, and T\ho possessed an Influence over hia parish-
ioners, and In the surrounding country, which these alone could bestow.

The subject of this memoir was destined from an eariy age, as well by bis

SIE HENRY MONCRIEPP WELLWOOD. BIRT., D.D.

457

own choice, as the desire of hii father, to the clerical profession ; and,
with this yiewy he repaired to the university of Glasgow, after completing
an initiatory course of education at the parochial school of Bladcford. Having
given a due attendance on the literary and philosophical classes in the uni-
versity, Sir Henry entered on the study of theology, in which he made a pro-
gress that raised the highest hopes of his future eminence ; and these hopes were
not disappointed. About this period, be had the misfortune to lose his vener-
able father, who sank into a premature grave : but the esteem in which that
good man ivas held did not die with him. All those who had any influence in
the appointment of a successor to his charge, unanimously resolved that his son
should be that person ; and, further, that, as he had not yet attained the age at
which he could, according to the rules of ^he church, be licensed and ordained,
the vacancy should be supplied by an assistant, until that period arrived.
On the completion of this arrangement, which took place in 1768, Sir Henry
removed to Edinburgh, where he prosecuted his studies to their close, distin-
guishing himself among his fellow students by the superiority of his talents,
and continuing to inspire his friends with the most sanguine hopes of the sue-
eess of his future ministry.

Having attained the prescriibed age, he was licensed to preach the gospel,
although he had not yet completed the required term of attendance at the
divinity hall ; and immediately after, ivas ordained, 15th August* 1771, to the
church of his native parish. The singular talents of the young preacher, how-
ever, did not permit of his remaining long in so obscure a charge as that of
Bladcford. On the occurrence of a vacancy in the extensive and populous
parish of St Guthbert*s, Edinburgh, Sir Henry Moncrieff, whose personal worth
and extraordinary abilities were already known and appreciated in the capital,
was called upon to supply it. Into this charge he was inducted in October,
1775, about four yean after his ordination and settlement at Blackford. The
subsequent life of Sir Henry Moncrieff, though remarkable for an exemplary
and unwearied diligence in Uie discharge of the laborious duties of his office,
and for a continued display, on his part, of every excellence and virtue which
can adorn the human character, presents little of which the biographer can
avail himself. Holding on the '* even tenor of his way,'' and neither turning
to the right nor to the left, but still anxiously promoting the interests of reli-
gion by his eloquence, and of morality by his example. Sir Henry Moncrieff
was one of those great and good men, who are content to confine the exercise
of their talents — of talents which, if they had been directed by ambition, might
have procured them a more dazzling fiime — to the immediate duties of their
calling ; and who think that the high intellectual powers with which they have
been gifted, cannot be more usefully, or more appropriately employed, than in
extending the knowledge and promoting the happiness of those within the im<
mediate sphere of their personal influence. The talents of Sir Henry Mon-
criefl* could easily have procured him, had he chosen it, a wider and a more
brilh'ant reputation than is now attached to his name ; but he conceived, and
he did so justly and wisely, that the end for which these talents were bestowed
on him, was fully and amply attained, by devoting them to the task of instruct-
ing those over whose spiritual welfare Providence had called him to preside ;
and who, as he well knew, must have lost in proportion to what others might
have gained by a diaipation of his exertions.

It was not inconsistent, liowever, with his duties as a minister of the estab-
lishment, that he should take an active interest in the business of the church
courts. At the period when he entered public life, the moderate party, headed
by Drs RoberUon and Drysdale, had attained a complete and hardly resisted

468

SIR HBNRY MONCRIEFP ^VELLWOOD, BART, DJ).

mxpnnmay in. the Scottish dmrch. Sir Henry, lioweTvr, imtead of joiDtng
with a party with wbidi hit wcular mnk might have been expected to inapire
him with many tympathiet, took a deGided part on the opposite oonrw ; and
soon rote, by the force of talent and cbaneter, assisted, but in no great d«»
gree, by his rank, to the situation of a leader in tlie more aealoos party, over
whom he ultimately ae^tuired a control, not more useful to their interests thesis
as the reeult of a tacit adcnowledgmeut of his deserts, it was honourable to
himself. In 1780, he was proposed as moderator of the General Assembly, in
opposition to Dr Spens, of Wemyn ; the competition was keen, Dr Spens being
elected by a majority of only six rotes : but in 1785, Sir Henry, being again
a member of the General Amembly^ was unanimously chosen moderator. Or
Andrew ThomMm, to whom in latter life he yielded much of his inflnence In
the church, has thua spoken, in liia luneral sermon, of the public chandnr of
Sir Henry i-^

** It waa in eavly life that lie began to take an active pmrt in the gorenMwnft
of onr national c^urdi.. The principlea of ecdeaiastical polity, whidi he
adopted as aeon as he entered on his public career, he adopted from fall and
firm oonriction ; and he maintained, and cherished, and arowed them to the
rery last. They were the rery same principles foe whidi our forefalhers had con-
tended so nobly, >Thich they at length succeeded in establishing, and which
they bequeathed as a sacred and blood-bought legacy to their dcscendanta.
But though that circumstance gare a deep and solemn intorsst to them in hie
regard, he waa attached to them on more rational and enlightened greunda.
He viewed them as founded on the word of God, aa emential to the rigbta and
libertiea of the Christian people, as identified witli the prosperity of genuine
religion, and with the real welfare and efficiency of the eatabliahment. And,
therefore, he embraced every opportunity of inculcating and upholdiag them ;
resisted all the attMupts that were made to discredit Uiem in theory, or to vio-
late them in practice ; rejoiced when they obtained even a partial triumph over
the opposition they had to encounter ; and dung to them, and struggled for
them, long after they were borne down by a system of foroe and oppression ;
and when, instead of the nunmrous and determined host that fought by his ude
in happier times, few and feeble, comparatively, were those who seconded his
manly eflbrti, and held ikst Iheir own confidence : but he lived to see a better
spirit returning. This revival dieered and consoled him. Fervently did he
long and pray lor its continuance and its spread. Nor did he neglect to em-
ploy his influence, in order to introduce paston who would gire themselves con-
scientiously to their Master*a work, preaching to their flocks the truth aa it ia
in Jesus, watching for souls, aa those that must give an aceooat ; nod iaithfully
and fearlemly performing all the duties incumbent on them, both as ministers,
and as ruien in the church.**

Sir Henry made a more successful opposition, e^^ially towards the end ot
his life, to the dominant faction in the church, than had been made for up-
wards of half a century before; and, in more instances than one, he Mi
their leader, principal Hill, in a minority : but it was, in the lattnr re-
spect, adverted to by Dr A. Thomaon, that his eflTorta were most eminently
Qsefoly and were followed with the meet benefldal effect. To bis eflbrte,
indeed, are lo be ascribed, ia a great measure^ the introdncUoa oi evan-
gelical doctrines into parts of the country from which they bad for many
years been excluded, the preponderance of evangelical ministers and elders
in the chnroh courts, and the consequent ascendency of tlie popular party.
Young men of piety and promise were always sure of his assistance and en-
couragement. In this respect many had reason to blefis him ; while the chordi at

SIR HENRY MONCRIEFF 'WELLWOOD, BART, D.D.

459

large haa luid reason to rejoioe in hit fidelity and wisdom. In the managonieot
of the Widows' Fund^ established by act of parliament in the year 1744, Sir
Henry took a deep interest, and acted as its collector for upwards of forty
yearly He was also one of the original members of the society of tlie Sons of
the Clergy, and, by his influence and his exertions, contributed largely to its
auocess. He was, besides, a warm friend to erery reasonably adjusted scheme,
that had for its object the amelioration of the moral and physical condition of
mankind. In the year 1 636, he was bereared of his wife, (Sosan, daughter
to Mr James Robertson Barclay, of Kearil, W.S», to whom he had been msr-
ried in 1773, and who was his cousin ;) while his own health, which had been
generally good, was also undergoing a decline. In the month of August of the
following year, 1837, Sir Henry himself died, after an illness of considerable
duration. At the time of his death, he waa in the ierenty-eighth year of hia
age, and tlie fifty-sixth of his ministry.

The personal character of Sir Henry Moncrieff waa, in the highest degree,
reepectable, and his conduct, in erery relation of life, most exemplary. He had
thoroughly studied the whole scheme of the gospel; and, from full and delibe-
rate conviction, as well as from its experimental application to his own personal
need, be threw himself, without pretension and without reserre, upon the pecu-
liar doctrines of the church to which he belonged, aa those which oould alone
insure his eternal interests

In hia ministerial capacity, he but rarely indulged in what is termed the
pathetic; yet there was often, particularly towards the dose of his life, a tender-
ness in his modes of expression, as well as in the accents of his roice, which came
home to the heart, with the energy of pathos itselC Aa an author. Sir Henry
was well known, and highly esteemed. The works which giro him a claim to
this title, are, ** A Life of Dr John £rskine ;" three Tolumea of aermons, and a
amall work on the constitution of the church of Scotland, whidi, aa well aa
one of the volumea of sermons, was published posthumously. The first is an
interesting record of the life of a most excellent and public-spirited minister,
and contains much valuable information respecting ecclesiastical aflOura in Scot-
land, llie sermons abound with luminous expositions and practical applica*
tiona of divine truth. All of these publicationa were well received by the public
That Sir Henry was admitted by all parties to be no ordinary man, is sufilciently
OTinoed by the following character of him, drawn up at the unanimous request
of the General Assembly of the church of Scothind, b^ the Rev. Dr Macgill,
professor of divinity in tlie college of Glasgow, their moderator at the time,
and inserted in the records of court ; an honour which has been bestowed on
but few individuals in the Scottiah church. Having enjoyed the friendahip and
the confidence of Sir Henry from hia earliest years, aa well aa from kindred
habita of thought and feeling, no man could be better qualified than the reve-
rend doctor to do justice to the suligect.

*' The Rer. Sir Henry MoncrieflT Wellwood, whose death and character
have been brought before tlie Assembly, was elected to be tlie general collector
of the fund for the widows and children of this church, in 1784, and continued
to discharge, till his death, the duties of that important office. During tlie
long period of forty-three years, he rdbeived annually the thanks of the G»>
neral Assembly, for the able, faitliful, and affectionate manner in which he ful-
filled the trust reposed in him; and never were thanks beatowed more de-
aen'edly, and with more full or heartfelt approbation. In the discharge of the
difficult, and often delicate duties of his office, he united the highest honour and
fidelity, witli the roost consummate prudence, and the greatest tenderness and
forbearance ; so that it is stated of hiin, by those who were connected with him

460 SIB HENRY MONCRIEFP WELLWOOD, BART^ DJX

iQ the inasty and who long and intiouitely knew him, that hii Tigonr of mind,
and the caution with which he deliberated, enabled him to form such decided
opinioniy as aared them in many caies from much perplexity; that eren the
minutest details of the management were never regarded by him as unw<mhy
the attention of his powerful mind ; tliat for the period during which he ad-
ministered the concerns of the fund, not a single instance occurred of any em-
barrassment being occasioned to them, by any mistake or inadrertency on his
party and on the other hand, so great was the confidence reposed in him, that
they nerer heard of a single complaint of seTerity in the exerdse of the powen
with which he was intrusted.

** But while the General Assembly thus gratefully record their sense of the
public serrices of Sir Henry MoncrieiT Wellwood in that office to whidi their
attention hat been specially directed, it is impossible not also to remember
what he was in a higher character, and in the disdiarge of higher duties. En-
dowed with great talents for the business of life, he was fitted for rising to high
distinction in the secular departments of society; but with a strong attach-
ment, which increased with hu yean, he deroted himself to the ministry of
Christ in the church of Scothind. The church of Scotland \Tas dear to him
from his earliest predilections, and these were confirmed by his maturest judg-
ments and long experience and obsertation of human life. The character of
a minister of the gospel he valued above all others, and though of too just an
understanding not to estimate the advantages of his hereditary rank, he never
forgot, or allowed others to forget, that he held a sacred diaracter, hy which it
was of chief importance that he should be known and considered. I'he doo>
trines of Christ were the objects of his firmest faith and warmest attachment,
and to preach them to his people he considered to be his first duty, and highest
honour. With a peculiar energy and power he presented them to the minds of
his hearers, and made them the principles from which he enforced all the vix^
tues and graces of a holy life ; while with fearlessness and freedom, and great
discernment of human character, he unfolded and exposed the besetting sins of
men of every condition. As a member of the General Assembly he will long
be remembered. His knowledge of business, his strong and masculine elo-
cjuence, the distinctness and vigour with which he went forward to hfs subject,
and the simplicity and fire with which he stated his sentiments, secured to him
at all times the respectful attention of men of every description. Equally dis-
tant from flattery and personal invective, he spoke with the freedom of an in-
dependent but well regulated mind ; nor amidst the collision of sentiment and
waruith of discussion did he ever forget the spirit which should be maintained
in an assembly met in the name of Christ and to promote his kingdom. His
life was devoted to active and general usefulness. He had no taste for
frivolous pursuits, and while his judgment led him to devote himself chiefly to
those peculiar departments of duty in which he believed he would be most
useful, he entered with deep interest into every scheme of public utility, and
rejoiced in the success of every well directed plan for promoting the cause of
religion and humanity. The young and the friendless he delighted to take un-
der his protection ; and as his influence in society was great, so many were the
individuals in every department of life, besides those who were within the
reach of his private friends, whom he benefited by his active services and by
the wisdom of his oounsels.*'

To this enlogtam may be added the following estimate of Sir H. MoncricfiTs
public character, by the late lord Cockburn, in the Life of Francis Jeffrey: —
^This eminent person was not merely distinguished among his brethren of the
church of Scotland, all of whom leant upon him, hut was in other respects one of

-WILLIAM AVILKIE. D.D. 4G1

the most remarkable and admirable men of his age. Small gray oyes, an aqui-
line noee, vigoroos lips^ a noble bead, and the air of a plain hereditary gentle-
man, marked the outward man. The prominent qualities of his mind were, strong
integrity and nervous sense. There never was a sounder understanding. Many
men were more learned, many more cultivated, and some more able. Bat who
could match hJm in sagacity and mental force? The opinions of Sir Harry
Moncrieff might at any time have been adopted with perfeot safety, without know-
ing more about them than that they were his. And he was so experienced in
the conduct of affairs, that he had acquired a power of farming his views with
what seemed to be instinctive acuteness, and with a decisiveness which raised
them above being slightly questioned. Nor was it the unerring judgment alone
that the public admired. It venerated the honourable heart still more. A
tbcMTough gentleman in his feelings, and immoveably honest in his prmciples, his
whole character was elevated into moral majesty. He was sometimes described
as overbeoring. And in one sense, to the amusement of his friends, perhaps, ho
was so. Consulted by every body, and of course provoked by many, and with
Tery undisciplined followers to lead, his superiority gave him the usual couAdenco
of an oracle; and this operating on a little natural dogmatism, made him some-
times seem positive, and even hard: an impression strengthened by his manner.
With a peremptory condusiveneas, a shrill defying voice, and a firm concentrated
air, he appeared far more absolute than he really was, for he was ever candid
and reasonable. But his real gentleness was often not seen ; for if his first clear
exposition did not convince, he was not unapt to take up a short disdainful refu*
tation; which, however entertaining to the spectator, was not always comfortable
to the adversary. But all this was mere manner. His opinions were uniformly
liberal and charitable, and, when not under the actual excitement of indignation
at wickedness or dangerous folly, his feelings were mild and benignant; and he
liberalized his mind by that respectable intercourse with society which improves
the good clergyman, and the rational man of the world. I was once walking
with him in Queen Street, within the last three years of his Hfe. A person ap-
proached who had long been an illiberal opponent of his, and for whom I under-
stood that he had no great regard. I expected them to pass without recognition
on either side. But instead of this, Sir Harry, apparently to the man's own sur-
prise, stopped, and took him by the hand, and spoke kindly to him. When they
separated, I said to Sur Harry that I thought he had not liked that person, * Oh!
no; he's a foolish, intemperate creature. BiU to tell yovk the truth, I dislike a
manfetoer every day that I live now,* " Lord Cockburn adds that Sir Harry *s
''great instrument of usefulness was his public speaking;" that he often rose in
the pulpit into " great views and powerful declamation ; " was ** the noblest de-
liverer of prayers at striking funerals ;*' and in debate " a fearful man to grapple
wi^h ;"i that " his writing, though respectable, was feeble;" and that '* had he not
preferred his church to every other object, there was no public honour to which
he might not have fought his way,*' as oounsel, judge, head of public department,
cr parliamentary leader.

WILKIE, William, D.D., the " Scottish Homer," as he has been called, from
thd circumstance of his having been the auttior of a poem in the style of the
Iliad, entitled the ** Epigoniad," was bom at Echlin, in the parish of Dalmeny,
county of Linlithgow, on the 6th of October, 1721. His father was a farmer,

^ There was really great justica (observes Lord Gockburi]) in the remark of a little
old north countr j minister, who, proud both of himself as a member, and of the reverend
baronet who was predomioating in the Assembly, said to bis neighbonr, <* Preserve m?.
Sir! hoo that man Sir Harry does goon! He puts me in mind o* Jupiter among t/ie
lesser gods."

4Ga WILLUM WILKIS. D.D.

sod poHOMed a amaO property to which he soooeeded by inlieritanoe. Ue was
aD upright and intelligent man^ but through a teriet of miefMtunee becaiM
greatly reduced in circuBfMtaDcet in tlie latter part of hie life.

The subject of this memoir reeeived the earlier part of hii education at tlie
parish school of Dalmeny, then kept by a Mr Riddel, a respectable and suo-
oessful teacher. At this eeminary young Wilkie gave many proofii of a lirely
and rigorous fancy, and of that genius for poetry which afterwards distin-
guished him. Before he had passed bis tenth year, he bad written some little
poetical sketches of considerable promiset.

At the age of thirteen, be ^vas sent to the unitersky of Edinburgh. Here
he ako distinguished himself by the superiority of bis talents, and in particular
by the progrem he made in cbusical acquirements, and in the study of theology.
He had the good fortune, likewise, while attending eollegtt, to form intimades
with eeme of the meet celebrated men of the last oentmry. Amongrt these were
Dr Robertson, Darid Hume, Adam Smith, and John Home. Mr Bfackeniief in
his life of the last mentioned indiridual, mys that Wilkie^a ftiends all spoke of
him as ** wip^riar in gtniut to amy man of ki$ time, bol veugfa and wi^ished
in his manners, and still less aeoommodating to the decorum of society in the
ordinary habiU of his life. Charies Townsend, a rery competent judge of
men," oontinues the biographer, ** and who, both as a politician and a man of
the world, was fond of judging them, said, afker being introduced to Wiikie,
and spending a day with him at I^ Carlyle*8, that he had nerer met with a
man who approadied so near to the two eztrames of a god and a brate aa Dr
Wilkie."

While prosecuting his studies at Edinburgh, Wilkie lost his fiithtr, who died
In straitened circumstanoes, but left his son the stodc and unexpired lease of
a farm at Fishen* Tryste, a few miles aouth of the city, burdened, however,
with the charge of maintaining his three sistem, who were otherwise wholly
unprorided for ; Willcie, in consequence of this event, became a fanner ; but,
unnilHng to trust entirely to that profession for his future snbaistence, he con-
tinued, while conducting the businem of his fium, to prosecute his studies in
divinity, and eventually was licensed as a preacher <kf the gospel, although some
yean elapsed before he obtained a church. Plrevionsly to hisamuroption of the
gown, he had made himself an expert farmer, and so remarkable nas be, in
particular, for his sucoenful culture of the potatoe, then but indHlbrently under-
stood, that he obtained the &cetious by-name of the pdatot winitkr. But,
while he claimed and really possessed the merit of being a superior agricul-
turist to any of his neighboun, he always acknowledged that he was Iheir in-
ferior in the art of trafficking ; and the manner in which he made this boast
and acknowledged this inferiority was characteristic of the man ; ** I can raise
crops," he would say, " better than any of my neighboors, but I am always
cheated in the market"

While pursuing his farming oocupations at Fishers* Tryste, whidi he did with
the most laudable industry and peneveranoe, labouring mudi and frequently
with his own hands, he did not i^^glect those studies which his clamical educa-
tion had placed within his reach. It was here, and while labouring with
scythe and sickle, ploughing and harrowing, that he conceived, and, at
interrnis of leisure, in part wrote, his poem of " The Epigoniad ;" the work which
acquired him wlut celebrity he possemes.

Through the influence of Mr Lind, sheriflUubstitute of Mid Lothian, who
resided in his neighbourhood, and who knew of and appreciated his abilities,
Mr Wilkie obtained the appointment of assistant and successor to Mr Guthrie,
minister of Ratho. To this office he was ordained by the presbytery on the

\?ILLUM WILKIE, D.D. 463

I7tb May, 1753. Three years aflerwards, during all which time he continued
to reside on and cultivate his farm, he succeeded to the entire liring by the
death of the incumbent.

In 1757, Mr Wiikle published at Edinburgh '' The Epigoniad, a Poem in
Nine BookSy" ISmo, and in 1759, a second edition, corrected and improved,
with the addition of '' A Dream, in the manner of Spenser." The Epigoniad
obtained a temporary and local celebrity of no unenviable kind. It was read
and admired by the learned of Scotland, and lias been so frequently alluded to
in contemporary literature, that even yet, when perhaps there is hardly a living
man who has read it, nothing like oblivion can be said to have overtaken it,
Mackenue, in his life of Home, spealu of it as *'* a poem of great merit, not only
as possessing much of the spirit and manner of Homer, but also a manly and
vigorous style of poetry, rarely found in modem compositions of the Idnd."
The same critic, after remarking the ivant of feeling which characterized
Wilkie, goes on to say, ** Perhaps it k to a want of tliis poetical sensibility
that we may chiefly impute the inferior degree of interest excited by Wilkie's
Epigoniad, to that which its merits in other respects might excite. Perhaps it
sufl^rs also from its author having the Homeric imitation constantly in view, in
which, however, he must be allowed, I think, to have been very successful, — se
successful that a person ignorant of Greek, will, I believe, better conceive wliat
Homer is in the original by perusing the Epigoniad^ than by reading even the
exoellent translaiion of Pope."

After his establishment at Batho, Mr Wilkie became a frequent and welcome
visitor at Hatton, the residenoe of the eari of Lauderdale, the patron of the
parish, who highly esteemed him for his worth and talents^ and was particularly
fond of his society.

In 1759, he becnae a ctndidate for the chair of natural philosophy
in the university of St Andrews, then vacant by the death of Mr David Young,
and was sucoemfuL After settling in St Andrews, the poet purchased some
acres of land, and resumed his farming occupations^ in which he succeeded so
well as to leave at his death property to the amount of JC3000. Sometime af-
ter his appointment to the professorship, the university conferred on him, as a
mark of its sense of his merits, the degree of doctor in divinity.

In 1768, Dkr Wilkie published a series of sixteen " Moral Fables, in Ver«e,''
8vo; but tliese, though sufficiently ingenious productions, did not advance him
much fiurtber in public favour as a poet. With this circumstance the remark-
able occurrences of his life terminate. After a lingering indisposition, he died
at St Andiews, on the 10th October, 1779, in the fifty-first year of his ageii

Of Dr Willde's personal pecnliaritiei aome curious anecdotes . have been pre-
served. Amongst the most amusing and extraordinary of his eccentricities was
a practice of sleeping with an immoderate quantity of bed-clothes, and a detes-
tation which he entertained of dean sheets. He has been known to sleep with
no lem than four and twenty pair of blankets on him ; and his abhorrence of
clean sheets was so great, that, whenever he met with them in any bed in which
he was to lie, he immediately pulled them ofl; crumpled them together, and
threw them aside. On one occasion, being pressed by lady Lauderdale to stay
all night at Hatton, he agreed, though with reluctance, and only on condition
that her ladyship would indulge him in the luxury of a pair of foul sheets J

He was of extremely parsimonious habits, although in the latter years of his
life he was in the habit of giving away j£SO annually in charity. His parsi-
mony, however, did not proceed so much from a love of wealth as of inde-
pendence. On this subject he was wont to say, '* I have shaken bands with
poverty up to the very elbow, and I wish never to see her face again. He was

464

WILLUM THE LION,

absent to « degree that placed him frequently in the moit ankinurd and ludi>
croufl predicaments. He iiied tobacco to on immoderate ezoeis, and was
extremely slorenly in his dress.

WILLIAM,*8urnaraed Thb Lion, one of the most distinguished of our early
monarchSy was bom in the year 1143. He vrnM the second son of Henry,
prince of Scotland, the son and heir-apparent of Darid I., but who predeceased
his father in 1158. On the death of his ton, David prodaimed his eldest
grandson Malcolm as the heir of his Scottish dominions, and, destining William
for a separate principality in Northumberland, caused the barons of that district
to give him their promise of obedience, and took hostages for its performance.
Malcolm accordingly succeeded Darid in 1 1 53, as king of ^Scots, while William,
then only ten years of age, became superior of the territory now constituting
the northern counties of England.

In 1 157, an agreement took place between Malcolm and Henry II. of Eng-
land, by which Northumberland was ceded to the latter, who gave in return the
earldom of Huntingdon ; an exchange whidi produced great dissatisfaction in
Scotland, and the utmost displeasure in the subject of this memoir. FVom this
time Malcolm became unpopular in Scotland, and it is not improbable that Wil-
liam took advantage of the national prejudices to advance his own ambitious
vieirs. It is represented by the Scottish historians that, in 1 164, the people ob-
liged him to undertake. the regency of the kingdom, while the king his brother
gave himself up to religious meditation ; a very decent description of what
must hare been littie else than a usurpation. On the 9Sth December, 1165,
Malcolm died, and William succeeded to the crown.

William, baring repeatedly but vainly solicited the restitution of Northumber-
land from Henry II., at length joined in a confederacy with bis eon, the cele^
brated Cceur de Lion, for the purpose of dethroning that monardi ; Ridiard
not only assuring him of tiie territory he desired, but also granting the earl-
dom of Cambridge to his younger brother David. In 1174, William serred
the puq>oses of this confederacy by on invasion of Northumberland, which he
spoiled without mercy. He was prosecuting the siege of Alnwick with a small
party, when a large body of Yorkshire horwmen came upon him unexpectedly.
Though he had only sixty horse to present against four hundred, he gollantiy
charged the enemy, crying out, ** Now we shall see who ore true knights."
He was unhorsed, disarmed, and made prisoner, while his companions, and
some others who were not then present, submitted to the some fiite, from a sen-
timent of duty. Henry did not make a generous use of this triumph. He
caused the oaptire monarch to be brought into the pre se n ce of his court at
Northampton, with his feet tied together under the belly of a hone, as if he
had been a felon ; and afterwards pkced him in strict confinement in tbe.cas*
tie of Falaise in Normandy. The Scots, towards the close of the year,
recovered their monarch from captivity, but at the expense of a tenp^mry sur-
render of their national independence. In terms of the treaty formed on this
occasion, William was to do homage to the English king for the whole c/ hi*
dominiont j an object at which the latter had long unjustiy oimed : and the
casiles of Roxburgh, Berwidc, Jedburgh, Edinburgh, and Stirling, were sur-
rendered as pledges on the part of the king of Scots, for the performance of
his promise. The independence of the Scottish church was at the same time
impignoroted, but with certain cautious ambiguities of phrase that reflect great
credit on the ingenuity of its dignitaries, who managed this part of the treaty.
The claims of the English diunji over Scotiand, however, disturbed several of
the ensuing years of the reign of William, who, in resisting them, bodced as

JOHN WILLOCK. 465

they xnx9 by the pope and all his terrors, showed surprising fortitude and pcr-
ceTenusce.

In 1189, Richard Ccnir de Lion, hsTing aooeded to the throne^ and con-
sidering thatJ¥i)liam of Scotland kiad forfeited his independence in conse-
quence of an attachment to his own interest, restored it to him, along M-ith the
castles of Berwick and Roxburgh. Perhaps it vrtkB not altogether from a
generous or conscientious motive that the king performed this act of justice.
He was about to commence his celebrated crtisade, and it migi.t be apparent
to him that the king of Scots was not a neighbour to be left dissatisfied :
he also stipulated for ten thousand merks as^ the price of the favour he was
granting to his brother monarch. The treaty, however, which these loinglcd
notions had dictated, was the blessed meaai of preserving peace between the
two countries for upwards of a century. When Richard was afterwards so
unfortunate as to become a captive in a foreign land, William contributed two
thousand merks towards his ransom. Such transactions afibrd a pleasing relief
to the general strain of our early history.

. After a long reign, of which the last thirty years appear to have been spent
in tronquillity, and without the occurrence of any remarkable event, William
died at Stirling, December 4, 1814, in the seventy-second year of his age,
and the forty*ninth of his reign, leaving, by his wife, Ermingarde de Beau-
mont, one son, who succeeded him under the title of Aleacander II. William
also had six illegitimate children. He is allowed by historians to have been
a vigorous and judicious prince, not exempt of course from the vices of his
age, among which must be reckoned a rash ralour, but adorned also by some
of its Tirtues. William was the first Scottish sovereign who bore a coat
armorial. He assumed the lion rampant upon his shield, and from this cause,
it is supposed, he obtained the designation of WilUam the lAon. A curious por-
trait of William has been preserved from time immemorial in the Trinity hos-
pital at Aberdeen, and was lately engmred and published in the Transactions
of the Antiquarian society of Scotland.

WlliLOCK, JoHiv, one of the earliest Scottish reformers, is supposed to have
been a native of Ayrshire, and to have been educated at the university of Glas-
gow. He entered one of the monastic orders (that of the Franciscans, accord-
ing to Spotswood, and of the Dominicans, according to Lesley) in the town of
Ayr, and remained in it probably for sereral years; but the history of this period
of his life is almost entirely unknown. Previously to 1541, he had become a
convert to the protestant fiiith, and retired from bis native country into Eng-
land. There, however, he did not receive the protection which he seems to
hare expected ; for, during the persecution for the Six Articles, he was thrown
into the Fleet prison. After his liberation, he became one of the chaplains to
the duke of Suftblk, the father of the lady Jane Grey ; and during the reign of
king Edward, appears to have lived in tranquillity. But the hopes of the
protestants were soon blasted by the early death of that monarch; and Willock,
with many others, was obliged once more to flee, on the accession of Mary to
the throne. The town of Embden, in Friesland, was selected as the place of
his retirement Here he was enabled to turn his knowledge to account in the
practice of medicine, which brought him into contact ivith persons of distinc-
tion, and, among others, with Anne, duchen of Friesland. The acquaintance,
which ivas thus formed, was strengthened by subsequent intercouise, and Willock
was sent by the duchess on several missions into Scotland. His risits to his
natlTO country, where he preached, whether in health or sickness, to all that
came to his house, most have had a powerful eflTect in hastening the establish*

IT '^ tH

i.66

JOHN VIUiOCK*.

meotof liM BefiMBulMML H0 mbmi to have altifluttely detenmaed opoD reaid-
iog in Scotland; and, with thia-Tiew, retiumed in 1558, or early in 1559.
Tha town of Ayr, ia which ha had fomwrly lirad in jaoaaflic aechiMB, waa
now deidned to be iha plaoe of kit ^Uic ministnitioas^ and he laenticaa Si
John'a church at the pboa wheia ha taught hit docUriae ** oppinlye befoir
the pepiL'' Nor did he decUne coatraveity wilh the popish eodeMastioi : for,
in 1659y he baoune the aj^nent of Quantin Kennedy^ the well known abbot
ef Croiisguel ;^ and at a later period he had public dilutes with Black, a
Dominicaa iziai^ aad with Robert Maxwell^ a •c&aoliBatter ia Glasgow ; but of
neillier af these has any account, so iar as ue are aiaua, been preserved.
Early in 1559, Hamilton, anehhithiy of St Aadrews, bad suamoned Wiaodc,
aad some of the other protestant preacbeii^ to appear before him ; but theur
trial was prorogued by the queea aegant's orders, and ibey weia summoned to
appear befiaa the Jastieiaiy court at Stirling. In the mean time, the geatla-
men of the counties af Angus and iUeaias, where the protestant doctrines pre*
vailed, assembled >rith their foUowen, with the avowed iatMndan of aooom*
panying the ministen to StiiUng; The queen Mgeat became alarmed, and
promised to Eiskine of Dun^ ** to take some better ordar.'* Upon the faith of
this promise, thay retired, and the aiinisten did not, ef ooume, consider them-
selves as still bound to appear. But when the day of trial came, tlie regent
ordered the eummoas to be called^ the ministers outlaved, and their cautioaen
amerciated.

It is fotluuata whan auoh instances of duplicity meet with '' tlie skaith and
Uie scorn" which they deeerva. This \\m certainly the case in the present in-
sunce. While the breach of £uth alienated tlie afiectioae of some of her best
supportan, it had not even the tempocary efiect of retarding the progrem of
the new doctrines. In the loUowUig July, Willeck preached in St Gileses,
lildinburgh, to large audiences ; ami in harvest, tlie sacrament of the Lord^s
supper WBS publidy adaunisteiad. The r^eat requested that mam might still
be said, the church leaving it to the option ef th^ people to attend the polish
or the protestant service ; but Willock and his party were sufficiently poaaiful
to n»ial ihe propose], and she had the mortification of eeelog her wishes frus-
trated by the very men whom she had proclaimed rebels not t%vo months before.
She was to reeeive a yet mone decided blow from them. In October, the nobi-
lity, haroasy and burgesses, aemmbled at Edinburgh, to discuss tlie question,
whether a regent who had contemptuously refused the advice of her boi&
couacilloa,-*nho had infringed the laws, both of the realm and of common
good faith,<^4Jid who had carried on a civil u«r in tlie kingdom,»-sbouId be
sufTered any longer to rule tyaannically over them. After a statement of theii
opinions by Wliiock and Knox, she was solemnly deposed, and a council, aa-
sifited by four ministen, of whom Willock was one, was appelated to carry cm
tlie government, till the fimt aieeting of a parliament.

The arrangements which followed the establishment of tlie Refonaation, and
the appointment of superintendents over provincee, have been noticed in seveial
of the lives in this work. In September, 15G1, \YilU>ck uaa ordained superin-
tendent of the west, at Glasgow, in presence of some of the most powerful of
the nobility.* From this period ceaaes everything in his history, that may be

> See an asBooatof thehreoBlwvens',m ftr w it prseeededt&i Koilh's Hislory,AppfliriiK,

■ Although the form of admission did not take place liU that date, Uicrc Is evidence that
Willook wu settled in tho west, and had an allofnince from tiie revenues of the arch-
Usiioprlc of Glasguw, as early as October, 1660, before the meeting of the firet General
Assembly. In the following Januaiy, ids wife, who appeoj^ to have resided in Ki»gland

JOHN WILLISON.

467

fuppcMd lo inlereil 8 $Mi«nl naier. He was now oeciipiedy ap p niwi tlyy in
tbe routiM of hit dutiot, and in tho btiainov of the Geneiml AMembly, of which
be WM feTOfal tinMo (ia 166^, 1565, ao^ 1558) dMMen moderator. In or
bei»ve ]r567, he feema to ha%e gone to England; mid ihe General Awembly, in
testimoBy of their ctteeoi, and ef the i«fcie of hit terrieei, ordered John Knox
to re^iiett him to retora. Thia he did is a nNtt aflecttenale letter, and it had
iu eAaet WiUodc dad vetam, and nat appointed mederater ef the neart As-
teariily. For remeiit whtdi it ia now in vain toeeajeelvre^he it tup p o t e d to have
retttcned te Ei^laady alatoat imtnedialaly allenmrdt. WrCh diit period ckwet
every aathentie traet of IhieezeaneBl amn^ ef uh et e hiiteay throughout, we unhr^
tiiaaiaiy only know enoagh to excite^ hat mi te gratify, eur Interett A charge,
af^rently ef a very abaaid aature, haa boat hrougbl againtt him by Bf r George
Chahaetft. In a Ma in the Stat* Paper eftee, thai autfier dtaDoreved, ttmt m
April, 1590, '' twa men, the ane nam^t Johnne Gibtonne, Scottithman,
prtacbar, and Jeiuie WiHelmt, weva cemrMed by a jary ef robbery ;^ and he
immediately condaded thai thia oenld b« ne ooe elm, hut <^ die reforming eo-
odjutor ef Knooi :" a caMtanon which eonid aet lail to gniify hit prejudieet;
WtAoitt treuUing the reader wkh any kn gth ew ed defence of the suppotition
that there may have been mere Hmn one John Willeck fa bread En^nd, we
shall merely ttate, that as our WlUodc was a preaoiier In 1 540, if not enrlier,
he anitt new hare been at an agt when robbert (when the gidlnwt tparet them)
genecaUy think of retoriag horn thehr prtfemion.

Betpect»ag the worfct of John Wittodc, \t» hare not been M9 to learn any.
thing. Otnipiler, in hit aceonat of him, — one ef the meit bitter articlet in hir
'* Hitteria Ecdtabttiea,'*— -atcribea to Mm, ^ IwKfim Qiimdam ;* which, howerer,
ha had net tten when he ptoooonoed thit opinion ef thenK*

WILLISON, JoHV, an eminent dirine, and aathor of teretai well knoim re-
Ugieoa weakt, watbem in the year 1660L The tinguhnrly gentie and pious
disposit&tB winds he eyinoed, eren in hit beyhood, together with the extraordi-
nary aptaem wUdi he discorered ler lea mi ny, determined Int parents to derote
him, from a rery eariy peried of hit liib, to the terrice ef ttie drareh, and in
thit deter mianticBi yoang Wittlson coidtaHy aoqoietetd. It uaa the profettion of
aU otheia which he himielf pteteimlL

On eompleting a cegulaa ooorae of aaademieal edueation, he entered on the
study of dirinity, and prosecuted it with reamrkable amiduity and success.
Having daly qualified hiawdf for the tacred ealHng of the mini^ry, he uat al-
mtat immediately theaeafter invited, ITM, by an muinimoat call, to the pas-
toral ofiee ai Brtduau Hera he ae^pilted S9 great a degree ef popularity by
bia abiiitiet aa a pveadmr, and by the timplitity and parity of hit manners and
Gondaet, and At benevolence of hit disporition, that he wa> earnestly and
unanimausly ealled npon by the people ef Dundee to fill a vacancy which shortly
after occurred in that townw He accordingly removed thither, and remained
there till his death.

Mr Willieon't abilities p rocure d him a leamihabie prominency in all public
discumions regarding chui«h matteva in tho period in whidi he lived, especially
in the qaettion ef patronage, to which he wat decidedly hettiltb He was, in-
deed, ccntidcred the leader of the party who advocated the right of the people
to dioete their own potton agreeably to the settlement of the dmreh at the revo-
Intiony in 1589, and wat indefirtigable in hit ezertient to lettore the exercise

durfng the struggles ^thfdi prweded the Reformation, joined him. (W odrow's Biographiad
CoUcctiom, printed by the Maitiand Ckib, i. 450.)
' Abridged i^om Wodrowt Bi<«nif bicil CoUecUom i.. 90—1 1 6, 44S-^I^.

468

ALEXANDER liVILSON.

ni thii popular right, which had b««n orerturMd by an act of parliament paaed
in 171 S. In thwe exeriiom, hoirerer, both Mr Williaon and hit patty were
oBsuoeettful till the year 1734, when thay were fortunate enough to procure
the co-operation of the General Atsembly in their riewi. That body had
hilberto strenuously seconded the enforcement of the system of exclusiTe
patronage, but in the year just naaMd it happened to be composed of men iiho
entertained directly opposite sentiments on that subject to those arowed and
acted upon by their pi%decesiors; — so opposite, indeed, thai they determined,
in the following year, 1736, to apply to parliament for a repeal of the
patronage act The known abiiitiea, seal, and activity of Mr Willison sug*
gested him as one of the fittssi persons to proceed to London on this important
mission, and he waa accordingly appointed, with two otlier clergymen, Messrs
Gordon and Mackintosh, to perfonn that duty ; but the application was unsuc-
cessfu).

Mr Willisoo also distinguidied fiimself by the strenuous efforts be made to
keep the peace of the church, by endearoaring to prerent those schisms, and to
reconcile those dilAreneas, which led to the separation of large bodies
of Christians from the established church, and which first began to manifest
themselves about this period. His eflbrta were unsucceaifiil, but not tlie less
meritorious on that account

Besides being a popular preacher, Mr WUlison was alao a popular author,
and in the religious world his name, in the latter capacity, still stands, and will
long stand, deservedly high. His principal works are, " The Afflicted Man's
Companion," written, as he hfanself says, iiith the benevolent intention " that
the afflicted may have a book in their houses, and at their bed sides, as
a monitor to preach to them in private, when they are restrained from hearing
sermons in public ;" and the work is admirably calculated to have the soothing
effect intended by iU able and amiable author ; ** The Church's Danger and
Ministers' Duty \^ «< A Sacramental Directory ;* << A Sacramental Cate-
chism;'' << An Example of Pkin Catediising ;* '< The Balm of Gilead ;*»
" Sacramental Meditations;" ** Appendix to Sacramental Meditations;" "A
Fair and Impartial Testimony;** ** Gospel Hymns;** ** Popery another Gos-
pel ;'* and '* The Young ComnHinicant*to Catechiam.'* An edition of these very

useful and pious worfca, in one volmne, 4to, was published at Aberdeen
in 1817.

Mr Willison ia described as having been moat exemplary in all tiie relations
of life, and singularly faithful and laborious in the discharge ni the important
duties of his sacred office, especially in visiting and comforting the side. In
this benevolent work he made no distinction between the rich and the poor,
or, if he did, it was in favour of the latter. Neithsr did he confine his exer.
tions in such cases to those of his own persuasion, but with a truly diristian
liberality of sentiment, readily obeyed the calls of all in affliction, wlwtever
tlieir religious creed might be, who sought his aid.

Mr Willison died at Dundee, on the 3rd of May, 1760, in the seventieth
year of his age, and the forty-seventh of his ministry.

WILSON, Alxxaiidbr, the celebrated Ornithologist, was bom in Paisley, on
the 6th July, 1766. His father waa at that time a distiller in a limited way ;
poor in circumstances, but sober, religious, and industrious, and possessed
of sagacity and intelligence much beyond most men in his sphere of life.
From the period of his son's birth, he entertained the project so fondly
cherished by almost every parent among our Scottish peasantry, of rearing him
up to be A minister of the gospel. There is no evidence to show that young
Wilson displayed any unusual precocity of intellect or bins of disposition to jus-

ALEXANPBR WILSON*

469

tify 80 high a destination ; but eren if he had, he would have been compelled
to relinquish his Tiews by the death of hit mother, which left hit father em-
barratied with the charge of a young family. Alexander was at thit time ten
years of age, and although hit eduettion had necessarily been restricted to the
ordinary branchet of writing, reading, and accounts, the judicioot and careful
superintendence of his father had eren then imbued bit mind with a patsion
for reading, and a predilection for the beauties of nature, which continued to
influence hit character ever afterwardt. In hit conretpondenee at a later period
of hit life, Wilton often recurt^ with exprettiont of warm 'filial gratitude, to the
paternal anxiety with which hit early ttudiet were directed, to which he attri-
buted all the eminence and honourt he tubeequently attained. In a letter,
dated February, 1811, he Miy8:--'<The publication of my OrnUhology,
though it has swallowed up all the little I had saved, has procured me the
honour of many friends, eminent in this country, and the esteem of the public
at large ; for which I have to thank the goodness of a kind lather, whoso
attention to my education in early life, as well as the books then put into my
hands, first gave my mind a bias towards relishing the paths of literature, and
the charms and magnificence of nature. These, it is true, particularly the
latter, have made me a wanderer in life ; hut they have also enabled me to
support an honest and respectable situation in the world, and have been the
sources of almost all my enjoyments.**

Wiison's father soon married again ; a d three yean pasKd away, during
which time Alexander seems to have had no other occupation, but reading and
roaming about, feeding in solitude habits of reflection, and an ardent poetic
temperament, which led him to shun the society of his frolicksome compeers.
An American biographer enoneously attributed this disposition for solitary
rambling, and his ultimate departure from the paternal dwelling, to the harsh
treatment of his stepmother ; but it has been clearly proved by subsequent
writers, that she discharged her duty towards him ivith great tenderness and
aflTection ; and Wilson himself uniformly speaks of her itith great respect.

At the age of thirteen, — that is in July, I779,..»Wilson was apprenticed
for three years to William Duncan, a weaver, who had married his eldest
sister. This occupation was quite at variance with his disposition and pre-
vious habits ; yet he, nevertheless, not only completed his indenture, but
afterwards wrought for four years as a journeyman, residing sometimes at
Paisley, at other times in his father's house, (who had then removed to
Lochu'innoch,) and latterly with his brother-in-law, Duncan, who had shifted
his quarters to Queensferry. Having much of his time at his own disposal
during the last four years, Wilson gave a loose to his poetical disposition ;
his relish for the quiet and sequestered beauties of nature, which began to
assume almost the character of a passion, he indulged more and more, giving
utterance to his feelings in verses*- chiefly descriptive-^which, if exhibiting no
great power of diction, certainly display an expansion of thought, a purity of
taste, and a refinement of sentiment, that are very remarkable in one so
young, and so unfavourably circumstanced for the cultivation of literary pursuits.
The only explanation which can be given of the fact, is, that he possessed on
insatiable thirst for reading ; and with that and solitary musings, passed the
leisure hours which others geneially devote to social amusements. ' An almost
necessary consequent on this gradual refinement and election of mind, was, a
disgust with the slavish and monotonous occupation of the loom; and the incon«
gruity between his world] y circumstances and the secret aspirations of his soul,
frequently occasioned fits of the deepest melancholy. Unlike, however, but
too many of the like sensitivo character, similarly situated, he never sought relief

UrO AUZAliDBB WILSON.

tew bit iMMbid dmjfooAmcf in te dmsmML rtinnlnt of tbe bottle. If«
yi«MM t* its iniueMiy only w at &r at b« Mii^hrtod an tncvNarn^ arCTnon
l» bia oeaafaitan ; or, aa BMra xsmAHj^wrndtd paopla wwiM tans it, a ten-
daney t« idlwfc Nor did tba ci i i w ita Mw a of Mvatal of liia jofomla pierea
^poMriiig ab«il tbh tiim ia tbe IS&tiymp ^(faafttiar, (sow tha GUitgow
Htrmld,) and uluch aUnwIad no awaU attatttion anoogal bk townaaMii, tend
BBjihiBg to naaMulo bbv to Ibo ibattk. Tbia waa wiandianly befim hit
migratioa to Qimarfwrry ; om bk lemaffaft to wfaieb pbxo, a chncaaMtaoce
oeaunedp wbiab bad a ittonf laAaaBaa upon bia teaaa fii at i i au B and cfaaraetei;
Him bvothar4o-]owy DwMaa, fiadiaig tbo taado of waaviof tnadafoale to tbe
■Uffieri of hit laaily, ftaaUtJ to att aat pt tbal «f m p c d il ar ev travelling nier-
cbaoi, far a wbile, and iatiltd Wilaae to join in tba expedition. No propoKtl
Goald iafo boon mete otMfonbd to tba youag peat^ ndad, prfiainy, at it did,
tba grafttieation of tbe ttw oMii poweHul pattiewa wbicb bo eberiihed, — a
detlte fee intrtating hie knowledge of bmm aad la m n ari ; aod a tbktt for eoa*
teaipkling tba Taiiod aeaoary of aatuio. Fkeat a joaenal wbtdi bo kept^ in-
deed, Qfto waa in hit iwentieth year when be tot out,} dmring tbia ezpedkioD, it
it evident thai bit tentaliont alaMat tniennlod to aaptiiin; nad be tpeaba wiib
tbe aMHt p ae f e u Bd oonteaftpl of tbo " ^OfoUiag tone of infrea>, and tbe graba
of tbit woald, wbo know aa little of, and am aa incapable of enjoyiag, tbe
pleaturtt ariting from the ttudy of nature, at tbaae miaanUo tpiiili wbo an
doomed to perpetual darknett, can tbe gkrioua ingiont and etainal deligbtt of
paauUter- For nearly tbaae yeora did Wilten lead tbit wandering lile, during
which tine it appeart that bo paid leai attention to tbe tale of bia waret, than
to gratifying bia predilection for reading and cooipodttony and indulging io
a tori of dreamy amditation, little oompatiUo witb tbe intartatt of bit pack.
In fact, of all oocupationt, tbo tneakiag, cajoling^ and balf^ae n dican t profeaHon
of a peddler, wat perhapa the meat untuitable to the anmly and ntakiutly ind^
pendent tone of Wilton*t mind ; but he waa cootoled for bit want of uaiiiani^
by the opportuniiiet be enjoj'ed of rititing tbote ipota aandeted dataical, or
hallowed by tbe " talet of the dayt of old.^ He uaed to apoak, for iattancay witli
rapt entlMitiatm, of the exultation be experienced in vititing tbe villi^e of Athel-
itanefordy tucotttively the retidenee of Blair and Homo. During thit happy
period — the only truly happy one, perhapa, of bit whole life—hit mute wat to
buty, that, in 17 89, he began to think of publithing. At he could get no book-
leller, howeTer, to risk tlie necesiary outlay, be wat oompeUed to advance what
little gaint he had stored up, and getting a bundle of pretpectuset thrown ofT,
be tet out on a tecond journey with bit pack, for the double purpose of aelliog
muslins and procuring tubscribert for hit poemt. In the latter oii»ject, ho
wat grievously disappointed; but Wilson wat not a man to travel iinora Dan to
Beersheba, and tay all is barren, even although foiled in the immediate pur-
pose of his heart. Hit journal, during thit second journey, indicates the stiong
and rapid growth of his understanding, and exhibits powers of obtervation and
philotophic reflection, remarkable in a young roan of the immature age of
twenty-three. Upon hit return home, he obtained the publication of his
poems by Mr John Neilson, printer in Paisley, when he again aet out on hta
former route, carrying with him a plentiful supply of copies, for the benefit of
those who might prefer poetry to packware. A less sanguine individual than
Wikon, might have anticipated the prejudice with which attempts at literary
eminence, emanating from such a quarter, were likely to be viewed by the world.
But our author was one to whose mind nothing but the tett of experience
could ever carry conviction — a characteristic, which, in his subsequent career,
proved one of the mo|t valuable attributes of his mind. His expectations were

ALEXiJIDSR WUSOS. 471

Boon resolvod in Um preaent uHftttM*. llio aoiaunl •£ Jbis JveoMs may lie
gaikered liron a pMMf e in oaa of kis letten hma Edinbucgk, whMein lie t^n ,
*\ I have Uiif day meaaured Um Mg^ of a liiuidied alttn, and exploMi the
recesses of' twice that number of miserable habitations ; and iriMit have I gained
by it? only two ihiilinfs of weildiy fdfl** In ihoi*, po«try and peddlery
proved equiUly nnsuooei^ul in hie hands 4 he had neither impudenoe, inttery,
nor importiinity ^ao^gh, tn past off aiiher thn 4ina or Ihnniher opnn the public;
and he retumad^ nsartilied and disap^inled, is hie &ther*e honse at Loch-
winnoohy whew neoetsity oeaspelM hiai to msiane thn shafefcle* But his war
not a lieart to aink int# dsapair undnr the Imiiis of letUme; and aeeideat
soon fiirniehod oocbsmhi iar a display of the faiteat vigour of hie niind« A few
of the rising Edinbiaqgh UitrmH, having letsaad tfaeassebas into a debating
society called the Farwn^ wene in the habit «f pvapoosidisig fuestions for dis-
cussion, in which the pnUic were adraUtod to lifce a ehane. It liappeaed about
t!ie time tre ore speaking eC ikat one of the qnestioaa for debato was,
** Whether Ibe evertions of AUan Basnny er Robert Fet^guason had done aofist
honoar to Scottish poetry r Wifaon h«4ng aecideBtaUy get notice ol this,
became fif«d with the idea of asaking a pdblie appeamnoe upon a euhjeet, on
which he felt confident he was capable of aequilting himself creditably, even
although he had tiot ihen rend the peema of Fei^gussen, and liad only a ^Mt-
night to prepare htmeelf. He aeoovdingly hetrowsd a copy, read, and formed
his opinion, oomposed a peem of oeniidnnd^le lengA for tlte ooeasion, labouring
all the while double the nsoal time at the loom, in 4Mider to raise funds lor hit
journey ; and arrived in Edinhoigh in tinie to take a ahave in the debate, and
recite his poem, caUed the '* Lanrel Diaputod ;*' in which, omtrary to the
opinion of the audience, he atsigned the pvecedesioe to Fergasson. Wilton
remained some weeks in Edinbttrgb, durisig which time he eompoted and recited
in public ether two poetical essays, and puiUithed his ^' Laurel Disputed ;^ a
poem slovenly, or we should rather tay hastily iiritten, but marked by nmc^
rough yn^onat of thought. Borne of his pieces about the tame time appeared in
i>r Andenon% Bee ; a fact eutteiently proving tiuit hit poetical talents were
Appreciated by thote who eenttitnted the high oottit of criticitm in Edinburgh
at the time; but from tome canto or other — probably the poverty of Ins cireum-
ttsncet, together with hit nnohlrutive disposition— Ae aut with no effifient
patronage orencooragtment to indnee him to try hit fortune in the metropolttan
world of letters ; and he retursMd home to liw loom, with nothing elie tlian
tome increase of reputatiosi.

About this time, an interesting incident took plaoe in Wilton^ career. The
poerat of Burnt had then (1791) daawn thoir immortal author from hit cbtcuro
situation, into the full blaze of fame and p^mlarity. Wilton, having obtained
a copy of them, ivrote to Burnt, ttsongly ohtjeetiag to the inwioral tendency of
several of the pieces. Tiie latter replied, that he was now eo mu<^ acoustomed
to such charges, that lie seldom paid any attention to them; but that, a^ Wilton
was no common man, he would endeavour to vindicate hit writings from the
iinputation laid against them; which he accordingly did. Wilson thortly
afterwardt made a peregrination into Ayrshire to visit Bums, and an intimacy
commenced, which probably would only have been teraunated by death, but for
tlie oauset which shortly afterwards dooased W^ilson to expatriation. The two
poets, indeed, had many striking points of ree em h lanoe in their diameter,
especially in the manly and dauntlett independence of their minds, their love
of nature, and their admiration of everything generous and noble, and intoU
eranoe -of everything low and mean. Yot it is singular what a contrast their
respective imtings exhibit. Wiiile the passion of love itas the main tource cf

472 ALEXANDSn TTILSON.

BunM^i intplntloMy ef«fi to the last, Wikon, ef»D in the heyday of ardent
youth, eeldom alludee to such a feeling ) and when he does, it is in the cool
tone with which an unoonoerned indiridual would speak of any other curious
natural phenomenon.

In the following year (1792) appeared Wilson's admirable narratite poem,
*' Watty and Meg.** Being published anonymously, it was univenally attri*
buted to Bums ; a mistake, which, of course, the author felt as the highest
acknowledgment of its merits. But this was the last gleam of sunshine he
enjoyed in his native land. A violent dispute broke out between the journey-
men and master wearers of Paisley, and Wilson joined the ranks of the former
with all the determined energy which so peculiariy characteriaed him. Fierce
and Utter anonymooa saiina appeared, the paternity of which was rightly
assigned Co Wilson; and one iadividna]» especially, a moat respectable and
bencTolent man, but who was represented to the poet as a monster of avarico
and oppression, was libelled by bun in a maimer too groes to be patiently
borne. Wilson was prosecuted, convicted, imprisoned, and compelled to burn
the libel with his own hands at the pablio cross of Paisley. In a badly
regulated mind, such an infliction would only have excited thoughts of retalia-
tion, and the desire of revenge; but, although Wilson must liave smarted
severely under the disgrace, he was a man of too correct and candid judgment,
to persist wilfully in an evil course. He deeply repented afterwards these
wrathful effusions of his pen. Before seltirig out to America, he called upon
all those whom he had been instigated to satirioe, and asked their forgiveness
for any uneasiness his writings had occasioned ; and many years afterwards,
when his brother David, who went out to. join him in the west, carried out a
collection of theie youUiful satires, thinking they would be an acceptable
present to him, after the lapse of* so long a period, Wilson, without once
looking at them, threw the packet into the fire, exdaiming, ** These were the
sins of my youth ; and had I taken my good old father's advice, they never
would have seen the light** Such an anecdote is equally creditable to the
father*s good sense, and the son's moral feeling. But cither public events
accelerated the most important crisis in Wilson's life* The French Revolution,
with all its delusive promises of a harvest of liberty, broke out ; its influence
spread over the surrounding nations, and Wikon was one of those ardent men,
who, in our own country, conceived a favourable opportunity to have occurred
for reforming the national institutions. His well known leal and determination
of mind made him, of course, be looked upon as a man of most dangerous
character ; and, his previous attacks upon the authorities of Paisley being yet
fresh in their recollection, he was watched with a suspicion proportioned to the
dislike with which he was regarded. From these causes, Wilson's situation
soon became intolerably unpleasant to him ; and ho then, for the first time,
resolved upon emigrating to America. By what means he purposed to support
liimself there, it is not very easy to conjecture ; but ^having once resolved, he
proceeded immediately to put his pbn into execution. His chief, if not his
only, obstacle, was the want of funds; and, to raise them, he applied himself so
iudefalignbly to the loom, that in four months he realiied the amount of his
passage money. He has himself recorded that, during this period, his expenses
for living did not exceed one shilUng per weeks m little does man actually
require for the bare sustenance of life.

Having bidden adieu to his friends and relatives, he walked on foot to PorU
patrick, whence he passed over to Belfast, and there embartced on board a
vessel bound for Newcastle in the Delaware State, being necessitated to aleep on
deck during the voyage. He lauded in America ou the 1 4th July, 1794,

l"Hr